One of the biggest problems with the outdoors is that it gets messy. Your lawn mower might do a good job of keeping your garden clean, but keeping your deck, patio and outdoor furniture tidy can take hours, especially when you rely on a bucket of soapy water and a brush.
That’s where pressure washers come in handy. These handy tools attach to your hose and spray streams of water to tackle any cleaning challenge. From bird droppings to stubborn stains from years of neglect, they can be removed from your garden’s hard-wearing surfaces in seconds. With the right accessories, you can also use a pressure washer to wash down cars, bikes and boats.
Best pressure washer:
Ava Go P40
Ava £149.90
Best budget pressure washer:
Kärcher K 2 Classic
Argos £72
Best cordless pressure washer:
Stihl Rea 60 Plus
Charlies £224.99
Best for high-powered deep cleaning:
Bosch Universal Aquatak 135
B&Q £135
Why you should trust me:
I’ve been testing all sorts of cleaning equipment for years. I’ve tested vacuums, mops, hard floor cleaners, carpet cleaners, window vacuums, and a variety of autonomous cleaning robots for everything from indoor cleaning to lawn mowing. I have a nose for labor-saving devices, and with a busy family there are always dirty surfaces to test, like a sprawling patio and a grimy car. All sorts of dirty jobs are crying out for testing these pressure washers.
I collected eight pressure washers of different brands, models and price points and put them through the same test. First, I used them to clean a filthy patch of paving stones next to my house. This is where the dog is used for showers after walking, and it is on a busy street, so it is dark and dirty.
Next, I wanted to test the washers on a patio. Unfortunately, I don’t have a patio of my own, so I had to find someone else to clean it. Fortunately, someone in our neighbors’ WhatsApp group helped me find a neighbor’s patio that hadn’t been deep cleaned in several years, so it was already cleaned and ready for the washers. This was definitely the wettest of all the jobs, but my neighbor was happy with the intensity of my hose.
Then I cleaned the wheels of my car. Like most cars, mine only has four wheels, so I cleaned half of each wheel with each washer to compare their cleaning results.
Where appropriate, I tried a variety of accessories and settings that I had never used before on other jobs. This included cleaning out the empty buckets, removing a few years’ worth of algae from the carousel, and testing the included foam cannon on the rest of the car.
All pressure washers are provided by the manufacturers, and most come to collect them once I’m done. The washers that aren’t recycled are donated to Workaid, a Chesham-based charity that refurbishes tools of all kinds. The charity donates the washers to training centres and self-help organisations in Africa and the UK, helping young people learn new skills or start businesses.
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