Best Electric Pressure Washer Reviews of 2018 : The Best Power Washers For Home Use

If you’re like me, you know you’re looking for a power washer, but there’s just too much crazy information to make a good decision. That’s why I created this guide: The Best Electric Pressure Washer Reviews Of 2018 to help you. It’s designed to quickly walk though the top 7 models this year and give you an overview to help you decide. Not every model will be best for you so read everything and make the smart choice!

Quick Overview Of The Top 7 Electric Pressure Washers of 2018

Model	PSI	GPM	Our Rating	See More
SunJoe SPX3000	2,030	1.76		See on Amazon
Greenworks GPW1501	1,500	1.2		See on Amazon
AR Blue Clean AR383	1,900	1.5		See on Amazon
Serenelife	2,000	1.32		See on Amazon
Ivation	2,200	1.8		See on Amazon
Karcher K2 Plus	1,600	1.25		See on Amazon
SunJoe SPX1000	1,450	1.45		See on Amazon

Here’s An Electric Pressure Washer Buying Guide – Read This Before Purchasing!

So here’s the deal, electric power washers continue to get stronger and more effective. These days, most common jobs around a home can be done using a simple electric pressure washer. They have enough power to clean dirt, grim and grease off nearly any surface.

Let’s start with the absolute basics. Feel free to skip this section if you’re an experienced pressure washer user.

What is PSI?

PSI stands for “Pounds Per Square Inch” and it’s a common phrase in the pressure washer world. This tell you how much force the pressure washer can deliver on a surface. The higher the PSI, the greater the force the water will hit your target. Usually larger PSI numbers are better, but not everything. Things like car cleaning and washing house siding cannot have large PSI sprayed on them or it can cause damage. Common ranges for electric pressure washers are 1,500 PSI to 3,000 PSI.

Ok, but now what is GPM?

Great question! GPM stands for “Gallons Per Minute” and it’s another common phrase in pressure washers. This tells you how much water the unit uses when cleaning. Basically, how many gallons of water this pressure washer will use per minute of operation.

Excellent, but what’s that CU measurement?

CU stands for “Cleaning Units” and it’s a little less common. But it’s just multiplying GPM x PSI to create a common measurement across all pressure washers for comparison. For example:

Pressure Washer 1 has 1,600 PSI at a GPM of 1.8.

But Pressure Washer #2 has 1,800 PSI at a GPM of 1.4.

Your logic might tell  you that #2 is the better choice because it has the higher pressure. But not necessarily.

Because it only produces 1.4 gallons of water per minute compared to the 1.8 of #1.

If we find the CU (Cleaning Units) of both –  PS#1 = 1,600 x 1.8 = 2,880 CU

And PS#2 = 1,800 x 1.4 = 2,520 CU

So you see, when the two pressure washers are normalized, #1 actually comes out with the greater cleaning capability.

How Do I Choose The Right Electric Pressure Washer For Me?

There’s 2 major things you need to consider before purchasing any pressure washer, even a gas pressure washer.

1. How much money and I willing to spend?
2. How often do I honestly believe I’ll use it?

Some people just like collecting useful tools for the “someday application.” And that’s just fine. For those people, they’re going to buy a pressure washer no matter what. So feel free to jump down to our top choices.

For many people, they truly only need to use a pressure washer once or twice a year. In those cases, consider renting one from a local hardware store. But regardless of which path you take (rent or buy) you need to know what a pressure washer can clean.

So what can be cleaned using a top quality electric power washer?

Great question! Here’s some ideas from my experience. You can wash off built up dirt on the driveway and sidewalk. I tried using just a garden hose and thought it was fine. But then I tried power washing it, and it made a MASSIVE difference.

You can power wash the siding in your house. I have beige siding on our house that I’ve always just used the garden hose to clean. And again I was blown away with how much cleaner my siding looked after using my pressure washer.

I’ve also cleaned spilled paint off my garage floor. I enjoy doing arts and crafts projects and recently just helped throw a huge party for a friend. I built this massive backdrop and painted it for taking picture. Naturally, I spilled paint all over the garage concrete floor and couldn’t get it all up. Here’s comes the pressure washer to save the day!

You can also use a low powered pressure washer to clean you car!

And I know what you’re thinking… Everyone says you can’t do that, but you actually can if the pressure is less than 1,700 PSI. We’ll show you a few models that would work well on car cleaning.

These are just a few examples of how to leverage the best electric pressure washer for home use.

If you’ve come this far and are still interested, let’s talk about the specifics you’ll need to know to make the best purchase.

The Absolute Need-To-Know Things About Electric Pressure Washers

Here are the thoughts you need to have before making a buying decision:

Do you need detergent for cleaning?

In my experience, I would say yes. Having the option to put soap in the pressure washer is a huge benefit and I’d happily pay a few dollars more for this feature.

Does the power washer come with multiple nozzles? Or a turn dial adjustment?

Adjustable pressure settings are critical in modern power washers. Typically, this is done through different nozzles, but higher end versions also use a turn dial system to adjust the water pressure. You want at least 3 different nozzles standard with the unit. And most nozzles are universal so you can pick up more later. Or a turn dial system works even better.

Do you need to move the power washer around a lot?

If you need excess mobility, be sure to check 2 things: weight and wheels. If the power washer is big and bulky, it won’t travel well around your home and yard. And if the wheels are the junky plastic type, expect them to get stuck often. Lighter power washers are  easier to carry around and air-pumped tires make it extremely easy to pull in grass.

What style is the wand?

There’s two main styles of spray wand: plastic and metal. Go for the metal one. It lasts longer and is far more durable.

Does the power washer have on-board storage?

Not a deal breaker, but a nice feature to have for the wand and hose and extra nozzles.

Quick Guide On Electric Vs. Gas Pressure Washers

So if you want to learn more about gas pressure washers, go here. But let’s highlight just a few major differences you should understand about the two styles. If you’re not sure, stick with the cheaper electric models and test to see if they can solve your problems.

You can always pay more later for a higher quality gas model if needed.

Here are the main benefits of electric power washers: cheaper, lighter, quieter and can be used on more sensitive things like cars and houses.

Here are the downside of electric: limited range based on plug-in cord length, less power for deep cleaning and usually made of plastic so it won’t last as long.

Here are the main benefits of gas power washers: more power for deep cleaning, highly mobile for remote locations, and can run for long periods of time at high pressures.

Here are the downsides of gas: louder, more expensive, heavier and cannot be used typically on cars our houses.

Our Reviews Of The Top 7 Electric Pressure Washers of 2018

Sun Joe SPX3000 Pressure Joe – Medium Duty

Features:

• Amazon Choice as of 9/10/2018
• Strong motor that produces 2,030 PSI at 1.76GPM
• Comes with 5 quick-connect nozzles
• Has dual detergent tanks to multi-task cleaning
• Has a Total Stop System to stop the motor when not triggered

The SunJoe brand is a well known power washer brand that you can rely on. Clearly this model performs well since it’s been an Amazon best seller with over 4,000 reviews.

The Total Cleaning Units (CU) of the SunJoe SPX3000 is 2,030 x 1.76 = 3,572 CU

That’s a strong motor on this electric washer. And with the 5 adjustable nozzles, you can decrease the power to match the job you’re doing. We would even consider this SunJoe model the best electric pressure washer for concrete. Softer materials won’t need as much pressure; things like decking, siding and cars.

What is definitely a unique feature on this SunJoe model is the dual detergent tanks. This means you can put 2 different detergents in this power washer to simultaneously switch between jobs. If you need soap for washing your deck but a stronger chlorine based soap for sidewalks, you can switch easily here.

Lastly, this SunJoe model is one of the most efficient models on the market, With the Total Stop System, the motor gets turned off when you don’t have the trigger pulled. Electric motors can handle this start/stop mechanism pretty well and you save a lot of electricity doing this.

Overall, the SunJoe SPX3000 is a very impressive model and one you definitely will enjoy.

Check out the SunJoe SPX3000 here on Amazon.

Greenworks GPW1702 – Light Duty – The Best Electric Pressure Washer For Cars

Features:

• Solid motor producing 1,700 PSI at 1.2 GPM
• Includes 2 nozzle tips for cleaning applications
• 25-foot hose
• 35-foot power cord for extended reach

Greenworks is another well known brand for outdoor equipment and tools. They make a great lineup of power washers for light to medium duty applications. This specific GPW1702 model falls right in the middle of what we define as light and medium duty.

Typically, we find that medium duty power washers produce around 2,000 PSI and then light duty produces around 1,500. As you can see, this GPW1702 model is exactly in the middle at 1,700 PSI which can work well for multiple applications.

The Total Cleaning Unit (CU) of the Greenworks GPW1702 is 1,700 x 1.2 = 2,040

So as you can see, this Greenworks model is 40% less total cleaning than the SunJoe model above. That doesn’t mean it’s terrible, just not quite the same amount of cleaning per punch.

If you need a model that falls right on the border of medium to heavy duty, look no further. With the long hose and power cord, this electric power washer can easily reach far away places like the side of your house or a car in the driveway.

Overall, it’s a solid model that has over 200 reviews on Amazon so it’s definitely trustworthy.

Check out the Greenworks GPW1702 here on Amazon.

Serenelife Electric Power Washer – Light Duty – Best Electric Pressure Washer Under $100

Features:

• Light duty work at 1,502 PSI at 1.37 GPM
• Integrated detergent dispenser
• Manual water flow adjustment
• Lightweight at 17 lbs.

Serenelife isn’t necessarily a well known brand for power washers, but don’t let that stop you from considering their models. They make everything from this light duty model to a heavier 2,000 PSI model. Personally, we have plenty of options in that pressure range so we aren’t concerned with medium duty as we enjoy this light duty model.

It’s got everything basic that you need for a pressure washer, just on the cheaper side. If budget is your concern, this is a great option.

The SLPR model is a cheap electric power washer with enough power at 1,500 PSI to accomplish most basic tasks. Need to clean your home siding? This is a great option. Need to clean a dirty grill? Also this one.

The Total Cleaning Units (CU) of the Serenelife SLPR is 1,502 x 1.37 = 2,058

So if you’re paying attention to all the brands, that’s an equivalent cleaning capability as the Greenworks model above. Just with less pressure to protect your stuff.

The only real downside of this model (because it’s a budget model) is the lack of on board storage for everything you need. But if you’d like to save a few bucks and skip that feature, this Serenelife model is a great option for the budget.

Check out the Serenelife SLPR here on Amazon.

AR Blue Clean AR383 – Medium Duty

Features:

• Strong motor producing 1,900 PSI at 1.5 GPM
• 20′ hose length
• 30′ power cord length
• Medium weight at 27 lbs.
• Detergent bottle for soap spray
• 1 year bumper to bumper warranty

AR Blue Clean is another well known and well liked model of electric power washers. They make solid products that last years and perform at high levels.

This specific AR383 model is on their cheaper side but that’s because we believe it performs just as well as the model line above it but for substantially less money. We always prefer the cheaper price if performance is similar (if you know what I mean). And this AR model would be right up there for the best electric power washer for decks.

The Total Cleaning Units (CU) of this AR is 1,900 x 1.5 = 2,850

As you can see, it’s clearly more powerful than the last 2 models we reviewed, but still has a bit of room to catch the Sun Joe. You can probably understand why that Sun Joe model ranks so highly in our review. But the AR is another quality brand that can get the job done. Plus it’s blue!

Here’s what makes the AR unit really good, the cord and hose length. Between the two of them, it’s 50 feet you can travel and still reach your cleaning areas. That will cover a lot of ground and save a ton of time if you’re doing bigger projects like siding.

But be aware some people have commented on the connector to the garden hose not being good. Some have even recommended buying a cheap brass adapter to solve the issue. But at this price point, adding a cheap adapter still puts you in a better spot financially.

You can check out the AR Blue Clean AT383 here on Amazon.

Ivation Electric Pressure Washer – Medium Duty

Features:

• Powerful motor producing 2,200 PSI at 1.8 GPM
• Comes with 5 nozzles for adjustable power
• Easy on board storage for everything
• Safety automatic total stop system
• Has detergent dispenser
• 1 year warranty

Ivation is a brand much lesser known to the power washing world. Their lineup is quite small, but so far they have been solid models. This Ivation model is the only one we found on Amazon worth investigating. And that was because it has over 1,000 reviews.

It seems to be a solid brand with good cleaning capability. The 5 quick-connect nozzles make changing the PSI quick and easy. Plus the on board storage is much better than other models we’ve seen. Sometimes simple just work best.

The Total Cleaning Units (CU) for the Ivation is 2,200 x 2.8 = 3,960

That actually makes the Ivation brand the highest cleaning unit model we have on the list. Even higher than our recommended Sun Joe model. It was clearly designed to remove dirt and mold and grime.

Plus it’s a bit cheaper than the Sun Joe model. So if you want something that can clean deeper and strong stuff, and also want to save a buck, check out this Ivation brand.

Overall, we like it and you can check it out here on Amazon.

Karcher K2 Plus – Light Duty

Features:

• Solid motor pumping 1,600 PSI at 1.25 GPM
• Adjustable pressure spray hose
• 20 foot hose
• Long 35 foot power cord
• Lightweight under 17 lbs
• 2 year warranty

Karcher is definitely a brand many people in the power washing world are familiar with. They’ve been around a long time and have produced some top quality gas power washers.

But this electric power washer by Karcher packs a lot of punch at a cheap price. If you need lighter duty work done, there aren’t many cheaper options on the market with this much power. A solid 1,600 PSI comes in this unit and it’s fairly water conscious using only 1.25 GPM.

The Total Cleaning Units (CU) of this K2 are 1,600 x 1.25 = 2,000

So it won’t knock your socks off with it’s power, but it can provide cleaning for most basic items. If you need some cleaning done on your house (aka siding), this is a perfect power washer for you. If you need some light cleaning on your patio (especially soft wood like cedar) this is perfect for you.

It’s not always about the PSI of what makes a good power washer for home use. You have to consider the applications being used. And with it’s easily adjustable pressure wand, you can adjust pressure without chaning tips or turning off the washer.

Add the large wheels with the 35 foot power cord and this washer can travel large distances with you around the house. And with a full 2 year warranty (the longest we reviewed), it’s sure to last you a while.

Check out the Karcher K2 here on Amazon.

Sun Joe SPX 1000 – Light Duty

Features:

• Decent motor producing 1,450 PSI at 1.45 GPM
• Cheapest of rated washers
• Variable pressure adjustable wand
• Extremely lightweight under 12 lbs.
• Full 2 year warranty

Once again Sun Joe makes our list, but this time on the “light duty” side of the table. This SPX1000 is definitely made for budget conscious individuals who don’t need massive power to do basic cleaning.

If you truly just need a basic power washer to get some dirt off your driveway or siding, or maybe freshen up that patio, save some money and grab this SPX1000. It’s a solid price and can perform most light duty cleaning activities in a breeze.

The Total Cleaning Units (CU) of this SPX1000 are 1,450 x 1.45 = 2,102

So if you compare that to the K2 model, this one actually has more cleaning capability, but uses less pressure. Plus it’s extremely lightweight so it can be transported anywhere by anyone.

Overall, the SPX1000 is a great electric power washer for the money so take a look if you need just the basics.

Check out the Sun Joe SPX1000 here on Amazon.

How To Maintain Your Electric Pressure Washer

There’s truly only a few things that ever need to be maintained in an electric power washer, so let’s briefly mention them.

First, clean your inlet screen every few months. This is the screen between your power washer and the garden hose. It’s designed to prevent any contaminants from getting into the washer. Obviously, that would be bad to have a small rock get stuck in your spray hose. So take this screen out every few months and give it a quick rinse.

Second, if you live in colder environments, NEVER leave water inside the washer throughout winter. That will most likely damage either the tank or the hose and really dampen your day. The washer may still work next spring, but nowhere near as well as before. Just empty it out when you’re doing your lawn mower maintenance.

Let’s End It Here

We hope you really enjoyed our article about finding the best electric pressure washer for your home in 2018. If you have any suggestions or preferences, feel free to leave a comment as we love checking in!