When I was a kid, my dad ran his own pressuring washing company. In high school, I worked with him whenever I could because it was a fun way to make a little money. I always found it so relaxing to watch the massive transformation as the wand moved back and forth over the siding of tall buildings, revealing a clean surface. It must be my type A personality 😬 Anyway, we've been lucky enough to be able to use my dad's big industrial pressure washer every now and then to give our siding a thorough cleaning, but for smaller jobs, hauling that big monster to our house is totally unnecessary. Naturally, when we got our own pressure washer for smaller tasks, I jumped at the chance to use it, much to my husband's surprise. I immediately started cleaning the deck, and that familiar spraying sound brought me right back to being sixteen years old watching row by row as all of the green washed away.
Big thanks to Ryobi for providing a pressure washer for this post! All opinions are my own of course, but Ryobi is definitely, hands down, my favorite source of tools and outdoor equipment! This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. For more information, see my disclosure policy.
Having a small, budget friendly, low maintenance, electric pressure washer for small jobs is such a life saver! It's perfect for spring cleaning to prep your home for enjoying the outdoors all summer, as well as cleaning up any accumulated mold and mildew in the fall after the rainy season is over. And having used an industrial pressure washer myself before, I can honestly say the Ryobi pressure washer does a great job! And it's so handy for cleaning up way more than just siding! Here's some of the things we were able to clean up with our Ryobi 1700 PSI electric pressure washer.
15 Things to clean with a pressure washer:
- Siding and exterior brick- This is the obvious use for it. You should pressure wash vinyl siding annually to keep it well maintained. If you have a larger house, you will probably need to hire someone with an industrial pressure washer and extension wand to get the high up places. However, I love having a smaller pressure washer to do some spot cleaning of the siding on easy to reach places in the spring and fall. You can pick up a special soap made for siding at your local home improvement store or Amazon.
- Decks, patios, porches- Keeping wood decking looking new requires cleaning it! I recommend using a lower pressure nozzle to prevent wood from splintering (especially if the deck is particularly old, like ours!). The pressure washer will also do a great job on concrete patios (they make a great, super affordable attachment for this too.)
- Walk ways- Clean up concrete, brick, or stone walk ways. Keep in mind you may have to replenish any sand or gravel in between stones/pavers if the pressure washer blows it away. But look at what a big difference it made!
- Gutters- If you have white or light colored gutters, they get stained over time. Giving them a good spraying once or twice a year will help prevent this.
- Concrete steps- If your concrete is looking black or green, you will be amazed to see it looking nice and bright again! I think cleaning concrete is always one of my favorite pressure washing before and afters.
- Fences- Easily clean vinyl fencing with a pressure washer. If you have a wood fence, again, use a lower pressure nozzle to avoid splintering. We used the pressure washer on our wood fence and it looks brand new!
- Basketball hoop- This one might seem a little silly, but the basketball hoop in our driveway has a glass backboard, and it was filthy. I wasn't about to climb up there and scrub it, so we decided to use the pressure washer. Nice and clear now!
- Patio furniture- Perfect for cleaning stains, mold, and mildew in the spring and fall, or to give it a quick spray down throughout the season.
- Outdoor rugs- Outdoor rugs and door mats usually look pretty gross by the end of the summer. Give them a good cleaning with a pressure washer! If it's a rug that may fray from the high pressure, turn it over and spray from behind.
- Windows- Who doesn't love sparkling clean windows? When we moved into our new house, all of the screens were sitting in the shed, so the windows were covered in bugs. With a quick spray down, the windows are bug free and clear! The pressure washer can even be used to clean the screens before replacing them.
- Lawn equipment- Lawn mowers, string trimmers, etc. can become full of grass clippings, trimmings, and dirt. Keep them in good shape by spraying them off.
- Cars- Use a lower pressure nozzle to give your car a quick bath. Stand a little further away, and don't concentrate the nozzle in any spot for long so you don't chip any paint. (Not recommended if you already have chipping paint)
- Mailboxes- We pressure washed our mailbox and post, and the post looks like brand new wood!
- Outdoor toys- Siding isn't the only thing that accumulates mold and mildew throughout the season. Keep your kids toys nice and clean by spraying them off occasionally.
- Grill- Keep your grill looking clean by spraying off dirt and grease.
Ryobi is my favorite tool company and their outdoor line is always expanding to meet the needs of homeowners and do-it-yourselfers. Check out the RYOBI Landscapes site for even more useful tips. Have another use for a pressure washer? Let me know and I will add it to the list!
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