Pressure Cleaner Buyers Guide

Using a pressure washer is one of the simplest ways of keeping your property and outdoor areas clean. Many of those tough jobs can be easily resolved with one and their applications are numerous. However, a pressure washer is certainly not a one-type-fits-all product and there are various different ones which can be purchased. Pressure washers can be hot or cold water units, gas or electric powered or they can be designed to be used for residential or commercial purposes. The type of washer you purchase needs to be fit for purpose and so needs due consideration. Given the vast amount of choice when looking for high-pressure cleaners online let’s have a quick run through some of the key differences.

Hot or Cold Water

Cold water units are the most popular pressure washers as they are much cheaper than their hot water equivalents. Cold water units are also less complex in their design and so they are much less bulky and weigh less than hot water cleaners. One thing to consider is nicely summed up by imagining cleaning your dishes at home. How much easier is it to wash up with warm water rather than cold? This obviously applies to pressure washers too. A cold water cleaner relies solely on the mechanical force of the impact of the water against a surface to do its cleaning whereas a hot water pressure cleaner will lift the stains through a combination of this and the effect of the temperature. Combine this with the use of detergents and the cleaning capacity of a hot water washer is generally much greater.

Electric or Engine Driven

Electrically driven pressure washers are more popular with homeowners as they are portable, compact and tend to be less expensive than engine driven equivalents. They can also be used in enclosed and unventilated areas which are not always the case with petrol or diesel powered

washers. The drawbacks of electric motor driven pressure washers are that they clearly need to connect to an electrical outlet to function and this can hamper your mobility with one. Additionally, the pressure produced by engine driven washers is normally greater and so it will likely take less time to do the jobs required or larger areas can be covered more easily. Petrol and diesel engines will need to be maintained with greater care and attention than electric motors which are mostly just plug in, use and store away items. Routine checks such as oil levels and such will need to be carried out otherwise you will risk damaging them over time.

Commercial or Residential

It’s pretty obvious which is for which but it’s important to make sure you check this before purchasing. If you plan to use a pressure cleaner for commercial or even agricultural reasons, then you will want to purchase one which is specified for this application as it will stand up to the rigours of more regular use and generally be a quite heavy duty. This is often offset, however, by commercial cleaners tending to be bulkier and less portable than ones designed for home use exclusively.