Home Experts Say These Are the Best Pressure Washers for Every Cleaning Job

• Worx 1,700 PSI Electric Pressure Washer: Lightweight and compact at just 16 pounds, this budget-friendly model impressed testers with its easy setup, simple controls, and solid 1,700 PSI performance. It was the easiest unit to move and store, making it ideal for smaller jobs or transport to different sites. The downsides are limited features. It includes only two nozzles, no soap dispenser, and a few accessories. Still, it’s a smart pick for beginners or anyone needing a portable, no-frills pressure washer.
• Westinghouse WPX2700 Gas-Powered Pressure Washer: With 2,700 PSI and a sturdy gas-powered engine, this Westinghouse model offers plenty of cleaning power for most outdoor jobs. It weighs 63 pounds, but the upright design and 12-inch wheels make it easier to move than many gas units. While its PSI is modest for gas, it’s more than enough for driveways, siding, and patio furniture, and the overall build feels solid and dependable.

Product experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab regularly evaluate pressure washers. We track new models across major retailers and brands, then select top candidates based on prior Lab testing, reliability, and specs. Hands-on testing focuses on the brands that have performed best and proved most reliable through years of pressure washer tests, along with other outdoor power equipment.

For this story, we evaluated over a dozen newly released pressure washers, including hands-on testing of select models. When evaluating specific models for this round-up, our engineers and product testers spent over 100 hours reviewing performance data, specs, and prior test results. We narrowed our picks using a combination of past Lab test results, brand reliability, and an analysis of key specs like PSI, GPM, and weight, before conducting hands-on evaluations.

For the models we tested, our engineers conducted controlled Lab assessments and outdoor trials, using each model on surfaces like decks, siding, patios, pavement, cars, and outdoor furniture.

In hands-on testing, our engineers prioritized cleaning ability and also evaluated ease of use, like handling and maneuverability, swapping out nozzles, and adding cleaning solutions. And we paid attention to noise, since pressure washers are often operated for long stretches. Finally, our engineers evaluated general construction, including materials and fittings, to identify models that should deliver the longest service life.

Car cleaning is another component of our pressure washer test. Models with detergent tanks and soft-bristle brush attachments are well-suited to the task.

All pressure washers work by forcing water through a concentrated nozzle. But there are differences in how they're powered, as well as other factors related to performance. Here's what to consider:

✔️ Power source: There are three main options—electric, gas, and battery—and your choice will affect power and convenience.

• Electric pressure washers are the best choice for the vast majority of homeowners. The plug-in machines are suited to a range of projects, such as cleaning lawn furniture and washing the car. They're affordable ($300 and below), light, quiet, and easy to store and maintain.
• Many professionals prefer gas pressure washers because they tend to generate more power. They'll blast away nearly any dirt and debris on decks, driveways, and sidewalks, but they're much more expensive ($300 and up), bigger, heavier, noisier, harder to maintain, and, of course, need gas to run.
• Battery-powered pressure washers are the newest addition to the category. Many of these cordless models still max out at 500 to 1,000 PSI, compared with the 2,000 to 3,000 PSI of the best gas or corded electric models. But we're starting to see the power capacity tick up, as with the 3,000 PSI hybrid battery-electric Greenworks featured in this report.

✔️ Water pressure vs. water flow: These two specs tell you how much power a pressure washer will generate.

• PSI (pounds per square inch) indicates the water pressure delivered by the machine. If you're looking to clean dirt and grime from furniture or hose down the car, electric pressure washers with typical PSI ratings in the 1,600 to 2,300 range should do the job. For tougher cleaning tasks—say, tackling oil stains on a concrete driveway or removing sap from the back deck—you'll do better with a gas pressure washer with a range of 2,700 to 4,400 PSI. While PSI is important, you also need to check the water flow, measured in GPM.
• GPM (gallons per minute) measures the volume of water delivered by the pressure washer—an indicator of how quickly your machine will clean. Higher-GPM pressure washers (2.0 and up) will clean faster than lower-GPM models.

✔️ Cost vs. value: While you can find pressure washers for less than $100, the least expensive models that perform capably in our tests are closer to $150. At the other end of the spectrum, you could spend $600 or more on a deluxe-model pressure washer, but our experts say the best of the best for home use are in the $300 to $500 range. That's a serious investment, but hiring a professional to pressure-wash a patio or deck could set you back $150 on average, according to Angi, the home services marketplace. Given how many other uses you'll find for the machine throughout the year, our pros say it will quickly pay for itself.

Many of the best pressure washers have onboard detergent tanks that make it easy to apply soapy water to surfaces before cleaning. While you can add diluted household liquid soap to the tank, our experts recommend using cleaning agents specifically designed for pressure washers (available online and at home centers or hardware stores). These products are formulated for specific surfaces, so be sure to match them to your project. Pressure washers with detergent tanks also have nozzles designed to dispense soap. Switch to that nozzle, apply the cleaner, then switch to a higher-powered nozzle to make your surface shine.

Short answer: yes. But you need to respect the power generated by these machines, especially at more concentrated settings. To avoid the risk of serious injury, wear closed-toe shoes and safety goggles at all times when operating your pressure washer. And if your machine comes with interchangeable nozzles, use the least powerful one first.

Our experts also say to stay away from the zero-degree spray nozzle (usually the red one in the set, though more brands are calling it their "turbo spray"). The highly concentrated spray is enough to penetrate the skin's surface. You can get the same cleaning results with a wider spray; it will just take a bit longer.

Pressure washers can damage surfaces, including decks and fences made of wood or composite materials. When operating a pressure washer, position yourself about 4 feet from whatever you're cleaning. When in doubt, do a spot test on an inconspicuous area first to help ensure the spray won't damage the surface.

In his role as director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab, Dan DiClerico brings 25 years of experience to the Institute, having reviewed thousands of products, including all kinds of outdoor power equipment, for Good Housekeeping and brands like Consumer Reports and This Old House. For this report, Dan tested 10 pressure washers himself over three months at his home in Brooklyn, NY, evaluating their performance on a variety of surfaces, including his deck, patio, fence, sidewalk, and car.

Writer and product tester Timothy Dahl also contributed to this article, including testing several pressure washers at his home in Las Vegas, where sand and dust are constantly coating outdoor surfaces. He also reviewed the features and specs across half a dozen new pressure washers models. Timothy has spent nearly 20 years in the home improvement industry, testing and reviewing products for Popular Mechanics, This Old House, and Charles & Hudson.