A pressure washer makes fast work of big cleaning projects (and small ones, too). Because water sprays from a washer’s nozzle with such intensity, it can lift up and remove dirt, mildew, and grime that a regular garden hose simply can’t handle. Cleanup jobs that would normally take 20 to 30 minutes with a garden hose and a sponge or wire brush take a fraction of the time with a pressure washer. During our testing, we cleaned a manure-covered wheelbarrow in a matter of minutes, and a set of ancient Adirondack chairs took maybe three or four minutes apiece. You get better results for less work, and the benefits increase as the jobs get bigger.
But you might not need to own one full time. Most rental centers have pressure washers available by the day or hour, so if you’re cleaning your siding once every two years, there’s no sense in buying one just to have it take up space in your garage. Once you start using it more than that—say, a couple of times a year—owning one begins to make sense. We checked a few rental centers around the country and found that the per-week rental charge was typically the cost of a new washer.
An electric pressure washer offers the best combination of power and convenience. Electric washers are not as powerful as gas washers, but they have plenty of strength for normal around-the-house jobs. They’re also cheaper and much easier to deal with: They need almost no maintenance, they start with the flip of a switch, and they’re simple to store in the offseason.
We’ve recommended a gas pressure washer in the past, and we’ve had one at our testing site for years, but over time we’ve realized that we simply don’t ever use it. A nice electric model, like our top pick, can handle most cleaning jobs. Electric washers take longer to clean an area, but we’d rather spend more time cleaning than deal with oil, fuel, exhaust, maintenance, off-season storage, and the other inconveniences of owning a gas engine.
Cleaning power is more than just a number. The capability of a pressure washer is determined by its pressure (measured in pounds per square inch, or psi) and flow (measured in gallons per minute, or gpm). “The psi pushes the organic matter from the surface, and the gpm carries it away,” explained Jamey Kramaric, who once ran PressureWashr.com. He told us the sweet spot for an electric washer’s pressure is in the 1,800 to 2,000 psi range, with a gpm volume of about 1.3 to 1.5. Multiplying these two numbers gives you what the pressure washer industry calls the cleaning units, or CU, of the washer, which is the most accurate way to compare how two washers perform against one another.
How you use the washer also affects how well it cleans. As Kramaric explained, “A little trick is to remember moving 2x further away will 1/2 the force the surface feels.” So just moving the nozzle lets you control the pressure. The weaker pressure washers can still get a lot clean, but with one of those models you need to do the job with the spray tip right up against the surface you’re spraying.
Induction motors are better than universal motors. An electric pressure washer with an induction motor is a little more expensive, but as Kramaric writes in an article comparing the two styles, “They are also more rugged, quieter and will have a longer lifespan.” In our testing, the induction motors emitted more of a humming, in contrast to the whine of the universal motors.
Convenience features are very important. We’ve learned to seek out models that have big wheels, metal spray wands, and effective hose and cord storage. These are the telltale signs of a tool that is likely to be easy to use and durable, and one that won’t cause additional frustrations. They do add cost, though: Basic models with minimal features and universal motors cost as little as $150, but more feature-laden washers with heavy-duty induction motors start at around $250 and top out around $400.
We tested by cleaning everything we could. To determine the best pressure washer, we washed six cars, a couple of sets of patio furniture, a lawn tractor, a brick chimney, three filthy wheelbarrows, some grime-covered pallets, a small soccer net, a garden cart, a maple-syrup evaporator, three rabbit cages, and some muddy extension cords. We also cleaned years of caked-on cow manure off an old, well-used Ford tractor. In addition, we’ve continued using our picks for all manner of around-the-house use.
Top pick
With extra-large wheels, a long hose, a high-end induction motor, and a well-designed GFCI plug, this Ryobi model is the most user-friendly electric pressure washer.
After all of our testing and research, we’re confident that the best pressure washer is the Ryobi RY PSI Electric Pressure Washer. It didn’t clean much faster or better than the other models during our testing, but its smart design touches avoid nearly all of the inconveniences commonly associated with pressure washers. This model replaces our previous pick, the Ryobi RY, which has been discontinued.
It cleans well (but they all do). The Ryobi RY’s pressure rating of 2,500 psi is high for an electric pressure washer, but it has a relatively low flow rate of 1.2 gpm, so its actual cleaning ability is on a par with that of the other models we tried. We’ve never found the power lacking: In our tests, this model managed to get blobs of pine sap off a car and push away a graying layer of mildew on patio furniture. And in our years of long-term testing, Ryobi’s electric pressure washer has always delivered enough power for the job at hand.
Its induction motor adds a number of advantages. Induction motors are quieter and last longer than the smaller universal motors found on the majority of residential pressure washers. They’re also larger and heavier. In the case of the well-balanced RY, the added weight acts as a stabilizer. Even when we gave the hose a good tug, we were unable to tip over the unit.
The hose, cord, and wand storage are better than most. To store the Ryobi RY, you loop both the hose and cord and attach them to the washer with either a Velcro strap (the hose) or a bungee (the cord). Because they’re not stored in a tight loop, as on so many other pressure washers, when unwound they lie relatively flat. The hose and cord are also of higher quality than those on most competing models. And the wand holder actually does the job of holding the wand, something that most wand holders seem to be incapable of doing.
Its big wheels can traverse any lawn. At nearly a foot in diameter, the Ryobi RY’s wheels are almost twice as large as the wheels on most electric pressure washers. This made the RY one of the easiest washers to maneuver, especially when we traveled over an uneven lawn, hopped a curb, and bumped it up a set of patio steps. Most of the wheels on the other washers were so bad, we had to half drag and half carry them.
The plug can fit any outlet. Due to a pressure washer’s combination of water and electricity, all models come with a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) built into the power cord for added safety. The GFCI brick is always bulky, but Ryobi sets it several inches back from the plug end, which allows the plug to be normal size. Most other pressure washers have the GFCI built directly into the plug end, making them incompatible with covered exterior outlets.
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Ryobi covers it with a three-year limited warranty. This is one of the longest warranties we found for an electric pressure washer. Ryobi tools are readily available at Home Depot too, and you can have any servicing done through that retailer as well, an option that adds to the overall convenience of this pressure washer.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
The soap dispenser is a problem. The Ryobi RY’s soap container is opaque, so you have no way to see how much detergent is left other than popping the cap off and taking a look. The cap is angled, so filling the container with detergent is difficult. But what’s worse is that the tank is bolted to the washer body, so to empty the tank, we had to tip the unit back and pull out the soap-supply hose on the underside of it. In doing this, it’s not easy to preserve the detergent for future use—in fact, we ended up just rolling the whole machine over on its side and dumping the detergent out on the lawn. Many other models have semi-opaque, removable tanks, with easy-to-access caps.
The nozzle selection and storage are a bit lacking. The Ryobi RY comes with three nozzles (15-degree, soap, and a rotary turbo nozzle) but offers a place to store only two of them; this design decision assumes that one nozzle will always be on the tip of the wand. We would have liked to see a 40-degree nozzle, or at least a place to put one in case the owner purchases it separately. The previous version of this pressure washer had an extra storage spot, so it’s a bit of an unforced error for Ryobi not to include that on this newer model.
Runner-up
This DeWalt model is similar to our top pick from Ryobi in power and usability, and it has a broader selection of nozzles and wider tires. But the cord wrap is frustrating.
Another pressure washer we like is the DeWalt DWPW PSI Electric Cold-Water Pressure Washer. This model is similar to the Ryobi RY and shares many of its best characteristics, such as the induction motor, overall cleaning power, and sturdy design. But this model also has a number of differences, some of which we liked and others we weren’t fond of.
It’s very similar to our top pick. The DeWalt DWPW has the same roll-bar design, with a padded handle and a low center of gravity. The clearly labeled nozzles are stored at the handle, and the cord has the same smart placement of the GFCI brick. The controls are intuitive, as are the connection points for the hoses. We didn’t notice any difference in cleaning power between the two.
In some ways, it’s better than our top pick from Ryobi. The detergent tank on this model is removable and translucent, solving all of the issues we have with the tank on our Ryobi top pick. The DeWalt DWPW also comes with two more nozzles than the Ryobi RY does, adding 25- and 40-degree tips, which are not essential but nice to have. In addition, the large, wide pneumatic (air-filled) tires made it easy for us to bounce this thing over rough terrain, including across a rocky, cratered area of lawn that had recently been dug up for planting.
But the cord storage and wand storage are not great. The cord storage is positioned very low, and with a 35-foot cord, wrapping up the entire length takes a while. Additionally, there’s so much cord that it just barely fits around the “horns” that you’re meant to wrap the cord around. It’s such a long (and annoying) process that we had to fully crouch down to avoid the onset of back pain when we tried to do this from a bent-over position. After a while, we started ignoring the horns and just bundled the cord with the hose and hung them both from the Velcro strap dangling from the handle. We also disliked how the DWPW’s wand holder hardly worked at all—the spray wand seemed to fall off every time we touched the washer.
It’s more expensive than the Ryobi model. Prices fluctuate, but on average, we’ve seen the DeWalt pressure washer selling for about $30 more than the Ryobi model. That isn’t a huge difference, but it exists, so unless you know that you’d benefit from the DeWalt model’s pneumatic tires, we suggest sticking with our pick from Ryobi.
Budget pick
If you want a decent washer for the lowest price possible, we like the Sun Joe SPX Electric Pressure Washer, one of the least expensive models we tested. It’s nowhere near as user-friendly as the Ryobi RY, but it cleans just as well, so if you’re planning to operate a pressure washer only once or twice each year and you cringe at the Ryobi model’s price tag, this Sun Joe washer will get the job done. It has some annoyances, but among the pressure washers in its price range, the Sun Joe SPX stands apart for making fewer compromises than its competitors.
For a budget pressure washer, it gets a lot right. This Sun Joe washer has a metal spray wand (competitors’ wands at this price are often plastic) and comes with five removable nozzle tips: 0, 15, 25, and 40 degrees, plus soap. Unfortunately, it has no rotary nozzle, but it does have two detergent tanks. It has simple, effective cord and hose hooks, so we never had any issue with the hose or cord falling off while we were moving the washer.
But it has some serious limitations. Compared with the hose on our top pick from Ryobi, the Sun Joe SPX’s hose is 5 feet shorter, so encircling a car for washing, for example, is more difficult. The SPX also has small wheels that don’t work well on a lawn—expect to do more carrying and dragging than all-terrain rolling. And this washer has a noisy universal motor, rather than an induction motor like the one on our top pick.
Overall, it lacks the general fit and finish of our top pick from Ryobi. This Sun Joe model doesn’t have a metal roll bar, it’s not as stable, the hose connections are just a little more difficult to make, the tip storage isn’t as good, and the GFCI brick is impossible to use in a covered exterior outlet unless you use an extension cord. These little annoyances—combined with the small wheel size, short hose length, and loud motor noise—can add up to a generally frustrating experience.
Best for...
This Ryobi model doesn’t clean as quickly as the others, but its small size and top handle make it portable and easy to store.
For a less powerful but more portable option, we like the Ryobi RYMTVNM PSI Electric Pressure Washer. Although it has the same long hose and cord as our main pick from Ryobi, this smaller Ryobi washer is much easier to carry around and can be stowed away on a shelf. It lacks the premium induction motor of the Ryobi RY, so it may not last as long. Another downside is that the GFCI is at the cord end, so it will not work with covered exterior outlets.
It’s less than half the weight of our main pick. At about 20 pounds, the RYMTVNM is very easy to carry and store. You can pick it up with the top handle or roll it along on small, luggage-like wheels with the extending handle (we preferred carrying it).
It also has less power than the other models we tested. This smaller Ryobi model cleaned all the same things, but we had to hold its nozzle closer to the object and spend more time overall. When it comes to just getting things clean, we preferred the bigger Ryobi RY, but this model can still work, depending on your timing and technique.
Wirecutter supervising editor Joshua Lyon has been long-term testing the RYMTVNM for about a year, using it for around-the-house jobs like cleaning patio stones, siding, plastic Adirondack chairs, a wheelbarrow, and car tires, among other small chores. Aside from finding the act of pressure washing “ridiculously fun,” he told us that the Ryobi RYMTVNM’s power is more than enough for the work that he’s doing—he even stripped a little paint off his house when the nozzle got too close. Joshua appreciates the RYMTVNM’s compact size and has never used its luggage handle, preferring to just carry the washer around. “I don’t think I’d want to deal with a larger machine,” he said. “I find this one just right for easy storage in our smallish shed.”
Best for...
This DeWalt model isn’t as powerful as some other pressure washers, but with its unique shape and smart wand, hose, and cord storage, it’s the easiest one to stow away.
If storage is your primary concern—and with a rarely used item like a pressure washer, it might be—we recommend the DeWalt DWPW Max PSI Electric Jobsite Cold Water Pressure Washer. Everything about this model’s design is focused on making it easy to stow away. Its biggest flaw is that the hose is very stiff.
There’s a real satisfaction to storing it. Pressure washers take up a good amount of space—there is always a hose, a cord, and a spray wand flopping around, so even the small ones aren’t exactly neat, tidy packages. Every detail of the DWPW is designed to reduce that frustration. All the parts and accessories are stored within the rectangular roll-bar frame. The cord tucks into one side and the hose in the other; the wand breaks down into three pieces and slides into a compartment on one side. The spray nozzles are stored on the handle of the spray wand. Because the end result is so perfectly boxy, the DeWalt DWPW can store on its narrow end or have things stacked on top of it (something we’ve never seen in a pressure washer before).
It’s easy to maneuver around. Though the DeWalt DWPW doesn’t have a big handle or big wheels, its easy-to-grab roll cage gives you a lot of options for carrying it, which ended up being our preferred method of moving the machine around. If that’s awkward for you, it also has a retractable handle and small wheels. The wheels are like in-line skate wheels and work far better than the small, plastic ones found on most pressure washers.
The sleek, storage-centered design comes at a cost. We got a lot done with this pressure washer, but its power is not in the same class as that of our top pick. Although it’s closer in power to the compact Ryobi model we recommend, its cost is within range of our top pick’s pricing. That puts it at about twice the price of other models with similar power, so you have quite a hefty cost increase for the easy storage.
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