A pressure washer is an ideal tool for clearing away dirt, grime, and other unsightly and unhealthy contaminants that are dulling the appearance and functionality of your home, your vehicle, your deck or patio, and even some of your most often used outdoor appliances and storage spaces.
But while you can hire a Pressure Washing Company to do this work for you, the decision to purchase a pressure washer is often a more economical choice if it’s a piece of equipment you plan to use on a routine basis.
You just need to know how to buy one. This is where things can get a little dicey. You certainly don’t want to spend more than necessary, nor do you want one that is either too powerful or not powerful enough to do the jobs you need.
Pressure Washer Options
When you’re shopping around, you’ll find that all pressure washers fall into one of two categories: Commercial and residential. The former is better-suited for doing those larger, more industrial-strength jobs, these units are far more powerful, but they are also a lot more expensive to buy.
The latter is best for those jobs around the house. Washing the exterior of the house, cleaning the barbecue grill, maintaining the driveway. These units still bring plenty of power but they are weaker than your commercial alternatives. As a result, these are also less expensive units.
Gas or Electric
You will be faced with plenty of options when you are shopping around for a pressure washer. But this will be the first and most important choice you will make right off the top. Do you purchase a gas-powered unit or an electric-powered alternative?
Gas-powered pressure washers can only be stored outdoors and they are typically stronger with higher-pressure water expulsion. They are great at cleaning larger areas at one time and better for eliminating particularly stubborn dirt, gunk, and grime, be it tree sap, thick mildew, and chewing gun, however, that power can also be more damaging to less resilient surfaces. Gas-powered units also run loud, they require higher levels of maintenance and they need to be winterized so they won’t get damaged sitting outside. You should not store gas-powered machines indoors.
Electric-powered pressure washers are great for smaller areas as well as outdoor appliances and furniture that need a good cleaning without intense power. These units are lighter in weight and stature and while they provide a good velocity of water force, they are a little weaker than gas-powered alternatives. You also need not worry as much about maintenance and you won’t need to winterize them because you can store electric-powered models indoors.
Conclusion
Carefully consider what you plan to use your pressure washer for over the course of ownership and then decide which one works best for those types of jobs. You can also review the other features and specifications that many of them offer, such as PSI, gallons per minute, detergent use, and water temperature settings to better inform your purchase.