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Blast through stubborn mud, mildew and stains in seconds with these powerful pressure washers
Grime, gunk, algae, fungus, mould, mud, moss and mildew. Not members of an ageing punk band from the Seventies, but the kind of stuff that covers exterior surfaces after a hard winter of rain, damp and very little sun.
Obviously, to get rid, there’s only one machine for the job – the pressure washer. And now that spring is here, you’re probably waking up at the weekend to that familiar sound (the steady drone from the motor and fizz from the water jet) of an army of washers being put to work.
Importantly, how powerful the jet of water is (pressure) is measured in bar, while how much water exits the nozzle every minute (flow rate) is measured in litres per hour (l/h). Together they will give you a very accurate overview of how capable the machine is of coping with a range of weekend projects from cleaning garden furniture to freshening up an entire driveway.
Apart from overall performance, you need good build quality as washers can take quite a beating, as they’re constantly on the move over driveways, patios, decking and other hard surfaces. Also, because there’s always plenty of hose and cabling involved there needs to be a good management system in place so you don’t end up doing battle with it all as you work, trying to unkink hoses and extricate yourself from tangled power cords.
There’s a huge range of machines ranging from sub to several hundred pounds. The trick is matching the washer to your external task list, which is why we’ve categorised each washer that made our edit, so you can ensure you’re getting the right one for your workload.
The good thing about testing pressure washers is that we get to tackle our rather intimidating list of outdoor cleaning jobs that sits waiting for us after winter hibernation. From algae-covered decking to cars with “clean me” graffitied in mud, we pitted each machine against the familiar range of tasks that face UK homeowners, as they begin to venture into the light and get their outside settings ready for warmer days.
We had 12m x 16m of decking to play with, and so we gave each machine one 12m board to clean so that we could compare results. Increasingly, washers are shipping with more and more attachments to increase their applications and we’ve tried all of them. After working our way through the testing criteria with each machine we were left with the real workhorses we’re happy to recommend, oh, and a very clean house too.
A pressure washer (often referred to as a power washer) uses a high-pressure jet of water to clean a wide range of items, including patios, garden furniture and cars.
Pressure washers can clean everything from decking, garden furniture and fencing, right through to vehicles, exterior paintwork, swimming pools, gutting and patios - while heavy duty machines can even clean large paths, driveways and stonework. A good machine should remove stubborn dirt and grime, mould, loose paint and even chewing gum.
Pressure washers are mains-powered, and they also connect to a garden hose. In a nutshell? They’re water pumps powered by an electric motor. The water comes out of a part which is commonly described as either a nozzle or a wand. Pressure washers will usually come with different adaptors. These will typically be different, smaller nozzles which fit onto the end of the wand, or entire wands which can be easily attached and removed. These wands are often referred to as lances.
Most pressure washers are electric, corded machines that run off mains electricity. They are quiet, affordable and easy to use. Petrol powered pressure washers are more powerful and expensive, making them more suitable for heavy-duty jobs and working away from home. They lack annoying cables but will need constantly topping up with fuel.
Most pressure washers can be used to clean cars – even prized motors with pristine paint jobs. This is because the average pressure washer will come with several attachments, and will have controls which allow users to alter the power of the water jet.
“Most pressure washers can be used on vehicles, but you should always carefully follow the manufacturer’s guidance and advice,” says Paul Hicks, product and marketing manager at Stihl, one of the top pressure washer brands. “Always keep the water jet a reasonable distance from the car to avoid damage and consider using a dedicated cleaning solution to help remove the dirt from the car too.”
Pressure
If you’re going to be using your pressure washer on a wide range of surfaces, you’ll want one with settings which allow you to quickly tweak the water pressure, while multiple fixtures – such as pressure washer brushes designed specifically for patios – will come in handy, too.
“Two of the main things to consider when choosing a pressure washer is the water pressure and flow rate,” says Stihl’s Paul Hicks. “Look out for a pressure washer that provides both good pressure and a high water flow rate. It’s easy to get high pressure, but the holy grail is a combination of a high pressure and a high flow rate.”
Light duty machines are up to 100 bar, which is good for decking, fences and garden furniture. Mid-range machines are 110 to 130 bar – these can also tackle vehicles, exterior paintwork, guttering and small patios and driveways. Heavy duty machines are 130+ bar – these are more suited to large areas, plus stonework and really grubby 4x4s or caravans.
Length of hose
It’s also worth taking a second to consider how the pressure washer will attach to your water source. “Make sure the washer can be connected to a standard hose or includes a syphoning kit suitable for any fresh water source,” says a spokesperson at Ryobi, another leading pressure washer manufacturer. “And make sure the washer is portable. This will allow you to clean on the go anytime, anywhere.”
Accessories
All machines come with a standard spray head, but some come with added extras, including:
Auto start/stop
Pressure washers with this feature use the trigger on the spray gun, as opposed to a switch on the main machine, to start and stop the flow or water. This can save quite a bit of water, especially for more fiddly jobs that don’t require a constant flow of water.
Storage
If space is at a premium, look for more compact machines with integrated storage, especially for cables and hose reel.
In the same way you drain a hose before storing it, make sure you drain any excess water from the hose after using the pressure washer. Storage is important, too. “Always make sure you hang your pressure washer gun and hose so that the water will drain out of them,” says a Ryobi spokesperson. “It’s also important to avoid storing it in an area where temperatures will get below freezing level.
Although it wasn’t the most powerful machine in the edit, the Husqvarna PW 130 is more than capable of turning its high-pressure hose to a variety of cleaning jobs around your property, whether that’s cleaning mud from work tools, getting rid of garden furniture grime, or taking on the bigger jobs like decking, patios and driveways. Intuitive to use and easy to work with in terms of hose, cabling and stability it’s more than capable of sprucing up tired areas, boasts excellent build quality and is one of the most lightweight and compact pressure washers we tested. Well priced, the machine is easily carried from job to job and designed to fit on a shelf in the shed or racking in the garage once the job’s done.
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