Learn about pressure washers soaps and detergents and discover the best products
If you use pressure washers then you will be greatly benefited by this guide on pressure washer soaps, detergents and cleaning liquids.
It will actually make quite a difference to your pressure washing results, when you check out this guide about pressure washer soaps, detergents and chemicals. These are all soaps, detergents and cleaning solutions that are used specifically with pressure washers, and professional pressure washing services already use them to improve and speed up the results.
A simple pressure washing hack that everyone should know
It is obvious that you should use every hack and tip that there is out there to make the most of your pressure washing efforts. Simply put you should try and maximize results to reduce effort and improve cleaning. One simple hack about pressure washers has to do with the dishwasher in your kitchen. You must have noticed that you need to use hot water with soap in the dishwasher to get ideal results. Using cold water is a sure shot way of your dishwasher underperforming. That means using hot water and soap is much better and more effective for cleaning your dishes, than to use cold water and no detergent.
The simple reason is that hot water cleans better than cold water. And this same principle can be used with pressure washers too. If you want to speed up the process of cleaning with your pressure washer, then we recommend that you use hot water. Of course, for that you need to have a pressure washer that has been specifically designed to be used with hot water.
There is a second part to this hack and that is the use of detergent. Even if your pressure washer is not designed to be used with hot water, you can still add pressure washing detergent and make the cleaning much easier and faster.
However, before you start using a detergent or soap and other cleaning solutions with your pressure washer, there are some important points to keep in mind.
Your guide to effective and efficient use of pressure washer soaps, detergents and cleaning solutions
What is a pressure washer soap and what is a detergent?
The first thing to understand is the difference between a soap and a detergent. The simple and straight forward explanation is that a soap is a natural ingredients detergent, meaning that soaps are a type of detergent that are made from natural ingredients like fats and oils from plants and animals.Another differentiation is between a soap bar and liquid soap. The difference between the two is in the main salt in them, a soap bar has sodium as the main salt while a liquid soap has potassium as the main salt. Soap in its elementary function mixed with water able to dislodge and break down dirt, stains and grease.
A detergent is made from chemicals made by man. Detergents do not have natural oils and fats, but only man-made chemicals in them. That is why detergents are used to clean clothes and other inanimate objects and surfaces, and soaps are used on our body.
That might make you wonder why there is a pressure washer soap and a detergent. Well the answer is that a pressure washer soap is biodegradable and environment friendly, and can be used in scenarios where the water from the pressure washer drains straight into storm drains. Also, you cannot use pressure washer soap with untreated water like collected rain water as it will react with the hard water and form a residue layer of calcium carbonate.
A detergent on the other hand can be used with any kind of water, but you cannot use it if the water drains into a storm drain as detergents are not biodegradable like soap. Detergents are also more effective in cleaning surfaces like concrete and wood and sidings etc.
A combination of soap and detergent is also used commonly to create a more efficient cleaning solution.
Soap nozzles, injectors and dispensers
Before you can use soap or detergents in a pressure washer you need certain components to make the whole system work. These components are the soap nozzle, the injector and the dispenser.The soap has to be introduced into the water stream of the pressure washer either before the pump or after it. The option is there because there are certain chemicals in some cleaning liquids that cannot be put into the pump. Therefore, accordingly the soap is introduced before or after the water pump.
The option of introducing the soap or detergent after the pump is called downstream injector system. The nozzle is used to siphon off the detergent from its container and then the injector puts it into the stream of the pressure washer. The nozzle pulls up the soap from either an in-built detergent container or a separate container which has the cleaning solution.
Home use store-bought detergents OR professional concentrated detergents?
If you have ever wondered whether to use the regular store bought domestic soaps and detergents for pressure washers or professional ones, here is the simple answer.
A professional detergent is in its concentrated form, and has to mixed to be used with the pressure washer. This is the choice of professionals who do pressure washing for a living as it helps them to save money. For use for domestic cleaning jobs, and use at home we recommend that you use the store-bought detergents as they are pre-mixed and can be used directly in your pressure washer. The domestic detergents cost a little more but they are your best bet and your simplest and fastest option to use soaps and detergents with your pressure washer.
What are the ingredients of a pressure washer detergent or soap
Though it is not essential, it is a good idea to know just what goes into the cleaning solutions, soaps and detergents that you will be using in your pressure washer. What we will do is have a look at the main ingredients and active components of soaps and detergents.
These are the main categories of chemicals that you will finds in pressure washing soaps and detergents. The three main categories of components are ‘Cleaners’ which are there to remove the dirt, ‘Sanitizers’ which are there to kill the bacteria and ‘Disinfectants’ that kill all organisms.The difference between them is that ‘Sanitizers’ act very fast killing the bacteria in about half a minute, while ‘Disinfectants’ take about 10 minutes to kill the living organisms.
Here is a look at all the main individual components of pressure washer detergents and soaps.
The first component we look at is Vinegar. Vinegar is useful for cleaning and polishing of surfaces ranging from counter tops, to windows to brass door handles and bronze objects.
Next, we look at Nitric Acid. This has effective cleaning powers when we need to clean concrete or wood, or we need to do stain removal.
The next one is Oxalic Acid. This is a specialized cleaning compound for removing rust and similar residues and coatings.
Then we have Bleach. This is essentially a sanitizer and disinfectant and is made up of sodium hypochloride and sodium hydroxide.
Ammonia is a very common cleaning agent which is used to clean stainless steel and glass.
Potassium hydroxide is a chemical that is used to make the soap soft or liquid inform.
Sodium hypochlorite is specifically used for removing stains and is also a strong disinfectant.
The last one we will look at it is sodium hydroxide. This is also known as caustic and its main job is to break down and remove grease, oils, fats etc.
How environmentally safe, and pet and garden friendly are these soaps and detergents
One question that you might have is that if use your pressure washer with soaps and detergents, could it be harmful for the environment.Will it cause any problems if you let the water run into the storm drains. Well, as we have already mentioned in the initial parts of this article, as long as you are using a soap which is made of natural components it is alright to let it go into the storm drains. However, a detergent is not biodegradable, and when using one with your pressure washer you are advised not to let the water from the pressure washer flow into the storm drains.
This brings us to the question, is the water that is being used for pressure washing with soap and detergents harmful for the growth of plants in a garden or can it harm pets in your house. Very simply put, if you have got soap or detergent from a store and it is a domestic cleaning variety, then it will be environmentally friendly, and will not harm your garden or be unsafe for pets. However, if the detergent being used is the professional variety and you have purchase the detergent in its concentrated form, then the pressure washer liquid might contain chemicals that are not safe for pets, and it may have a negative impact on your garden and plants in it.
It is because of these reasons that we recommend that everybody learn about pressure washer soaps, detergents and cleaning solutions before purchasing them. We think you should ask the people at the store, or any professional pressure washing service provider, about the biodegradability and environmental friendliness of the chemicals in the soap or detergent.
What do the professional cleaners have to say about soaps and detergents
If you have access to any professional pressure washing service, you can easily call them up and ask them about their opinion of soaps and detergents and cleaning solutions for pressure washers. They will al tell you, that they use soaps and detergents and that it makes their job much easier and faster.
Most professional pressure washing services or car cleaning stations that use pressure washers,will have a whole range of different pressure washing soaps, detergents and clean solutions. These are used regularly and in different combinations for different requirements, and significantly speed up the pressure washing job, and also make it easier. It is quite clear that no matter who you ask, you will find the same answers to this question. It makes a significant positive difference to the cleaning, speed and results, when you use pressure washing soaps and detergents.
If you want to ramp up the cleaning power of your pressure washer and speed up the process, then go get some soaps and detergents.
What are the best electric and gas pressure washers compatible with soaps and detergents
Now that you know enough about pressure washer detergents, soaps and cleaning solutions, you also need to know about the pressure washer models that work well with them.
To help you out, we looked at several pressure washers available to buy today, that work best with soaps and detergents. Here are our picks for electric and gas pressure washers that facilitate the usage of soaps and detergents.
Best Electric pressure washer for soaps and detergents - AR Annovi Reverberi AR390SS Electric Pressure Washer
One of the best electric pressure washers for using soaps and detergents is the AR Blue AR390SS, which is a 2000 PSI pressure washer. Its water flow is 1.4 gallons per minute.
We feel that it is one of the best electric pressure washers that enables soap injection through a downstream system.To ease out the entire process, this pressure washer has a detergent tank and a special soaping nozzle. The detergent tank is built into it, and works seamlessly with any detergent or soap. When you use the AR Blue Clean with the right pressure washing soaps and detergents, your efforts will yield much better and faster results. You can have a look at it right now on Amazon.
Best Gas pressure washer for soaps and detergents - SIMPSON Cleaning MSH3125 MegaShot Gas Pressure Washer
This gas powered pressure washer is a great option to use soaps and detergents. The Simpson MegaShot 3, does not have an on-board detergent storage tank, but you can easily store your soap or detergent in any old jug or can. Just get a hold of any jug, that you have lying around or a plastic can for the pressure washer cleaning detergent solution.
The Simpson MegaShot 3 comes with a detergent injection system consisting of a syphon hose and a soaping nozzle. All you need to do is put the hose into the cleaning solution which is stored in any jug, and then attach the soaping nozzle.
When start spraying with the pressure washer, it will automatically inject the soap into the water. This is an extremely powerful and efficient pressure washer but it is more expensive than an electric pressure washer. However, the cost is more than justified when you look at what powers it – a Honda GC190 residential engine that delivers 3200 PSI at 2.5 GPM.
Check its price on Amazon now.
The best pressure washer soaps and detergents for different requirements
When it comes to choosing the best pressure washer soap or detergent there are a huge number of choices available, so we decided to have a look at the best and bring them to you.We broke down these soaps and detergents into four broad categories.
Best pressure washer soap or detergent for cleaning vehicles like boats, cars, RVs, trucks, motorcycles etc.
Our choice is the Karcher Car Wash & Wax Soap for Pressure Washers. This pressure washer soap is very efficient when it comes to clean any vehicle be it a boat, RV, truck, car or motorcycle. This Karcher soap is available in a 1 gallon jar, and the optimal proportion for using this pressure washer soap is to use one part of this detergent concentrate with 10 parts on water. That translates into using one cup of the detergent with 10 cups of water.With this 1 gallon jar you will be able to get 20 washes with your pressure washer.
Have a look at it on Amazon here.
Best pressure washer soap or detergent for cleaning concrete
This next pressure washer detergent is one of the best for concrete cleaning. The Simple Green Pro Heavy Duty Cleaner is available in a 1 gallon jar, but being more powerful and concentrated for cleaning concrete it will deliver about 11 washes per gallon. This pressure washer detergent is very effective for removing oil, grease and other difficult to remove stains from concrete.
Take a look at it on Amazon here.
Best pressure washer soap or detergent for cleaning wooden surfaces
When it comes to cleaning wooden decks, fences and wooden furniture, our No. 1 choice is the Krud Kutter HS01. Since this soap is going to be used on wood, it does not contain any bleach or ammonia, and is powered by a chemical component called Sporex, that is highly effective in removing mold, moss, fungus, algae and leaves, from wooden services. Though this is a very effective soap for home pressure washing of wooden surfaces, professionals prefer to use bleach. The advantage with Krud Kutter is that it can be safely used at home, is not harmful for pets or your garden and is environment friendly. Bleach on the other hand is a hard and strong chemical that has to be disposed off carefully, but it does have a stronger effect on removing wood related stains and dirt.
Check out its price on Amazon here.
Best multi-purpose pressure washer soap or detergent for all surfaces
Sometimes you need an all-purpose detergent that can work equally well for all kinds of cleaning jobs. According to us, the best multipurpose pressure washing soap is the Simple Green Pro HD Heavy Duty Cleaner. This pressure washer soap can be used for any surface and for any kind of cleaning. It may not be able to deliver the impact of specialized pressure washing detergents, but it will do a great job, whether you have to clean your car, the floor, metal surfaces or wood.
With these top ranked pressure washer soaps and detergents, you can make the most of your pressure washing today.
Check out its price and details on Amazon here.
Top 10 Best Selling Pressure Washing Soaps and Detergents
To give you the power to really maximize the result of your pressure washer, we also put together a constantly updated list of the Top 10 best pressure washer soaps, detergents and cleaning solutions.
Just click the button below to see today’s updated list of the Top 10 best sellers. Have a look at the top 10 and if anything fits your needs and budget, check out the reviews, and of course ensure that it is compatible with your model of pressure washer.
Go ahead and ramp up your pressure washing today!
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