15 Ways to Use a Pressure Washer

The pressure washer is probably my favorite tool we own. There’s nothing more satisfying than giving your exterior spaces a good, thorough cleaning! Today, I’m sharing 15 of my favorite ways to use our pressure washer.

This post is sponsored by Greenworks.

Is it just me, or do you get really excited when it’s time to pressure wash something? There’s just not much in the world more satisfying than pulling out the pressure washer and giving new life to our driveway, the outdoor furniture, or even our entire house.

We recently got a new pressure washer from our friends at Greenworks. And, you know I had to spend an entire afternoon cleaning everything I could get my hands on.

If you aren’t convinced yet that you need a pressure washer in your life, allow me to share 15 of my favorite ways to use ours. Yes, fifteen uses. And this is just what I could come up with off the top of my head – there are tons more ways to use it!

Oh, and I hear a rumor you can carve a pumpkin with one too, so, you know, that makes sixteen.

But, I digress. Here are a few genius ways to use your pressure washer:

15 Ways to Use a Pressure Washer.

Windows

I’ll admit, I’m not great at cleaning my windows. It’s largely because it just seems so overwhelming! But, I love using my pressure washer, so I figured I’d see if using it made things feel a little more motivating. You should always a wide spray pattern and don’t get too close when cleaning windows. You don’t ever want to risk cracking the glass! I mixed up some cleaning solution right into the pressure washer and gave them all a good cleaning. It was kind of wild how big of a difference it made!

Driveway or Patio

This is my one of my very favorite ways to use a pressure washer. I actually did this earlier in the summer right before we listed our house, so ours wasn’t all that dirty. But, I’m really excited for the next time I tackle it because we got this 11″ surface cleaner attachment that will make the job even easier.

Wooden Deck

If you have a wood deck instead of a concrete patio, you can still use the pressure washer to keep it clean! Just be sure to choose the right spray tip (one that won’t be too intense for the wood). You’ll love how big of a difference it makes.

Back Fence

On that note, you can also pressure wash your fence! I started to do this a while back and never finished it, so I’m going to spend some time finishing up ours. It’s incredible how big of a difference it makes. It’s great to do this regularly to maintain your fence, and you can also do a more thorough job right before staining the fence. This is a project we’ve never tackled but it’ll be high priority in the new house. So, it’ll be something we get to try in the next few months!

Exterior Siding

Most pressure washers have the ability to mix in soap for a lighter cleaning – and this is a great way to give your entire house a bath! This is one of those jobs that should be done every other year at a minimum (once a year is even better), and you’ll be shocked at how much of a difference it makes.

Garage and Exterior Doors

While you’re working on the siding, be sure not to neglect your garage door and your exterior doors! This is really one of those things that I feel like you don’t really notice needs to be cleaned until you take a minute and just do it. Once you do, it’s kind of hard to believe how dirty it actually was.

Patio Furniture

Patio tables, plastic chairs, outdoor sofas…basically all of these things could use a regular bath with the pressure washer! If you live in a climate where you need to pack ’em up for the year, you can do it right when you bring them out for the season. But, in my neck of the woods we can use this stuff year round. So, I try to do it twice a year or so to keep everything looking as nice as possible.

Cushions on Your Patio Furniture

You might be thinking that when I say “clean your patio furniture” I mean, “just clean the wood or metal parts”. But, nope! As long as the cushions are outdoor fabric and intended to be used in exterior spaces, you can use your pressure washer to clean the cushions too! Throw pillows, couch cushions – all of them can be given a quick bath with the pressure washer. They’ll basically look like new again!

Outdoor Rugs

While you’re at it, be sure to clean off all of your exterior rugs. This applies to both area rugs and your entry mats! Our rug was relatively new (we just got it a few months ago), but I was still pretty amazed at how much dirt came off it when I cleaned it up.

Outdoor Grill

This is another great thing to do once a year, maybe right before you shut the grill down for the winter season. Be sure to disconnect any gas or propane and remove or cover anything that might get damaged. We’ve just got a charcoal grill and a smoker, so neither needed any sort of special preparation before cleaning them up. This is a great application to use some cleaning solution with as well!

Lawnmower and Other Lawn Tools

After you clean up the grill, you could also go ahead and clean off your lawnmower and any other lawn tools after their last use of the season.

Give Your Car a Bath!

Just like with your house, you’ll want to use a wide spray pattern and stay far back enough that you don’t risk chipping the paint at all. But, a pressure washer is a great way to clean the car! Grab some cleaning solution specifically meant for this application and you’ll have a shiny car in just a few minutes.

Trash Can

Let’s be real – the outdoor trash can gets gross. If yours is stinky, you can clean it up with your pressure washer without having to get all up in there and get yourself dirty. Ours was in desperate need of a good cleaning, and it was so worth taking a few minutes to knock it out.

Outdoor Kids Toys

At the end of the summer, the kids outdoor toys are covered in dirt and grime. So, before everyone heads inside to hibernate, you can clean them off before storing them for the season. If you’ve got a playscape outside, it could probably use a yearly pressure wash too!

Clean up Spilled or Dripped Paint

Finally, one of my very favorite uses for the pressure washer is to clean up spilled paint outside! I’m always painting in the driveway or the back yard, and more often than not I manage to make a mess on the concrete. It’s easy to clean up if you catch it before it dries, but I sometimes don’t – pressure washer to the rescue! Most paint spills or drips come right up and the concrete looks brand new again!

If you don’t have a pressure washer yet, what in the world are you waiting for?! It’ll change your life. You won’t be able to stop cleaning everything. I’ve genuinely considered knocking on a neighbor’s door to ask if I could pressure wash their house for them.

Just for fun.

Because it’s that good.

What are your favorite ways to use a pressure washer?