Every year, we get mold on the vinyl siding of our house in areas that don’t get nearly enough direct sun. A stone wall in our backyard gets that way too. Too much shade from pine trees. I once rented a gas pressure washer from Home Depot back in 2014 for the old house, but I found using it to be awkward. After twice paying contractors to clean the outside areas of our house, I think it makes better financial sense to purchase a tool that we will expect to use at least once a year.I wanted to rent one this year, but I guess they’re hot commodities and always unavailable.
There are lots of guides online to read through, and I would recommend understanding your requirements and budget before you invest in a pressure washer. We have average homeowner requirements:
- Need to clean my home’s vinyl siding of mold annually
- Need to clean concrete walkways once in a while
- Need to clean stone retaining walls around the yard annually
- Need to clean patio maybe annually
No boat to clean. ;)Besides cost, from experience, you also need to balance features against maintenance and portability. I once rented a large gas pressure washer from Home Depot. It was powerful but large and heavy. It was a trial to simply load it up in our SUV. While I like idea of electric for the easy upkeep (no gas, no oil), those models don’t appear powerful enough for cleaning stone or concrete garage floors.I decided on a midrange Ryobi gas model. It provided enough PSI to clean stone, could spray soap when needed, and was portable.
So far, so good. The fuel tank is a little on the small so I have to refill the tank after 30 minutes of use. I would also have preferred an onboard tank for soap/detergent. I was surprised to learn our concrete walkway was filthy and discolored. I was so focused on cleaning the siding and backyard stone wall, I never considered the concrete. I started cleaning the front stoop and the difference in color was dramatic. See the color difference above. Crazy, right?
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