The best pressure washer surface cleaner for most homeowners is the Greenworks Universal Pressure washer cleaner because it is inexpensive and should fit just about any electric pressure washer. If you need to go bigger, there are other options I have ranked below.
For most folks, a simple attachment to your existing pressure washer is enough to get the job done. There’s nuance to picking a surface cleaner out (which is why we wrote this article), but first know that you need a pressure washer to get the job done.
We have written extensively about electric pressure washers and gas pressure washers (see each link for more), so once you’ve nailed that, then let’s pick out a surface cleaner.
Jump ahead:
- For light duty jobs
- Strong, commercial surface cleaner
- Top all around pressure washer surface cleaner
- What to look for in a surface cleaner
- PSI and GPM
Pressure washer surface cleaners: Ranked by Type
If you’re doing a pressure washer job, there’s a huge variety in how much power you need. The range is somewhere between getting pollen off your deck and removing extreme chemicals from the side of the highway.
So let’s break down the best types of surface cleaners for each job.
A normal pressure washer surface cleaner for homeowners
For light duty cleaning, we are talking about cleaning off back decks, front porches, and small driveways and sidewalks with a surface cleaner. This is where most residential folks fall. And most residential folks are using an electric pressure washer like one from Greenworks or Ryobi.
If you have one of those, you’re in luck. Most electric pressure washer brands have their own surface cleaner attachments they sell separately. They also happen to be universal, so you can pick whichever one you like best despite it being from another brand.
If you’re going to grab one, check out the Greenworks Universal Pressure Washer attachment. I like this one mostly because of the price (generally super low on Amazon). For me, this thing will only get used 1-2x per year so I don’t feel like shelling out a hundred bucks.
Some great things about this pressure washer surface cleaner are that it has an 11 inch cleaning width that is great for smaller jobs and is universal – so works with any pressure washer.
The one downside is that it is pretty light (yes, that can be a downside) and only works with a maximum of 2000 PSI on a pressure washer. Again, this is going to be for light duty jobs so that PSI range isn’t too much of an issue. Because of both the width and the pressure limitations, you’ll have to move slowly and steadily with this one – but it will get the job done.
Strong pressure washer surface cleaner for commercial use
For commercial use, like professional driveway cleaners and folks that clean up playgrounds and office parks, I recommend two things that are different from the residential.
The first is a much wider cleaner and the second is the ability to have much higher PSI. If you have never heard of Simpson pressure washers, then you probably haven’t been paying attention. They make some really powerful gas pressure washers that use Honda engines, which are reliable and strong.
Simpson also makes a really good universal scrubber that is 15 inches wide, has steel construction, and is designed for higher power pressure washers. The PSI range on this one comes with a minimum of 3000 PSI (the necessary amount to get the internal hoses spinning) and a maximum of 3700 PSI. Perfect for a gas powered pressure washer.
I also like that it is over double the weight of the Greenworks attachment used for residential purposes. You’ll see a lot of different pressure washer surface cleaners on Amazon and other places that all look the same. The Simpson brand name on this one actually means something.
You can grab this one online for a ridiculously good price on Amazon.
Best all-around pressure washer surface cleaner
The best all-around surface cleaner comes from a brand named Karcher – which isn’t a very big brand but puts out a few good products and a dang good surface cleaner. This one is the baby of the Simpson and the Greenworks surface cleaners, with the versatility of both.
The Karcher Universal Pressure Washer Attachment has a 15 inch width just like the commercial one, but is designed for a larger suite of pressure washers. There’s a range of 2600-3200 PSI on this one, meaning it can be used with most gas and electric pressure washers.
It still has a universal attachment, but also has some additional products you can get along with it – like an extension wand that stops you from being completely bent over the entire time you’re cleaning.
I picked this one because Karcher is a reputable brand and this item is super popular. It is popular because it’s so versatile. When my son inevitably starts a pressure washing business, this is going to be the first thing I give to him as an investment. He can use it for residential jobs and decide whether or not he wants to invest in something bigger and badder as time goes on.
It also has a reasonable price and goes on sale very frequently at Amazon.
Bottom line: Surface cleaners
Surface cleaners for pressure washers are awesome tools that make your washer way more versatile. One of my friends used to own a pressure washer business and its wild to think that he didn’t use one of these back in the day – he just got up real close with his washer and took a few hours. Yikes!
Why we started The Lawn Review
The reason we started this website in the first place was because we had so much trouble trying to find reasonable, understandable, honest reviews for lawn equipment. And it’s not cheap! After hours and hours of research, trying products and returning them, and messing up our yards – we started this site.
As people who had to learn the hard way, we want you to know exactly what you are signing up for before you purchase a piece of equipment. That’s why we are committed to providing honest, easy-to-understand reviews that mean something.
What to look for in a pressure washer surface cleaner
When you’re looking to buy a pressure washer surface cleaner, it’s a bit of a confusing process. A bunch of brands make them, they all look like big hockey pucks, and there isn’t really much of a difference.
Oh, but there is.
Width
Width is an important element because it means everything for saving time on the pressure washing job. The wider, the better (up to a point). When you start getting into the 15 inch and above range, you start getting into commercial territory. These are the guys on Youtube that pressure wash driveways in like 2 minutes and claim to be extremely rich.
Most of us don’t need all that. But if you do, go wide and get a super powerful pressure washer that can handle it. The rest of us are good with under 15 inches of width.
Maximum and minimum PSI
Some of the pressure washer surface cleaners have a maximum PSI. When you get into the wider surface cleaners, you’ll start to see a minimum as well. These surface cleaners work by having two spinning nozzles inside that move really really fast and require a certain amount of pressure to keep going.
For the smaller ones, too much pressure will cause them to break. Make sure to match the surface cleaner PSI to the PSI on your pressure washer.
Weight
Weight is important because these can put you in a weird situation. Pressure washer surface cleaners exert a significant amount of pressure downward onto the concrete. If you remember those physics nerds, they always said something about equal and opposite reactions.
Featherweight surface cleaners actually will lift up off of the ground and make the job harder to control. I actually look for a bit of weight that can hold the cleaner in a straight line and use all the downward force on the concrete, not me.
GPM vs PSI on pressure washers
GPM stands for gallons per minute. GPM measures how quickly water is leaving the end of the electric pressure washer. PSI stands for pounds per square inch and is a measure of pressure that is being applied out of the electric pressure washer.
If this is confusing to you, you’re not alone. In reality, if you are looking for power, you want both. They work hand-in-hand to deliver water from the machine at a high rate and effective and efficient volume.
For reference, a pressure washer can have a high PSI but a low GPM, meaning it is able to have a high pressure but generally not over a large area. Having both a high PSI and high GPM means that it’s coming out fast and it’s producing a more effective stream.
Likewise, you can also have a low PSI and higher GPM. This is a good ratio for cleaning cars because you get a lot of water at a safer pressure.
