I have had a small portable pressure washer for many years, and finally completely wore it out. I decided to try living without one, and soon realized it had become part of me. If you do not have one, these machines use a small gasoline engine (or electric if you prefer) and a pressure pump to propel a relatively small stream of water at very high speed, as opposed to that available from a garden hose nozzle. The result is tremendously increased cleaning ability – a stream of water that can quickly cut through not only dirt and dust, but baked mud, flaking paint, hardened grease, and many other stubborn types of filth, using nothing but water (and a bit of detergent in case of stubborn resistance). And not only that, as a good Californian I appreciate the fact that it does so with less water than I would waste with a hose, scrub brush, etc.
I probably especially appreciate it because of my hobby of rescuing old machinery, because alternate approaches to cleaning keep me drenched in toxic liquids, depressed from endless scraping, and disappointed with the end result. The photo below shows my new washer —nothing special— a sale at Lowes.
But it is even better than my old one and comes complete with four nozzles ranging from gentle to “don’t get your hand in the stream. These are tools, not toys, and not to be used for water fights or cleaning the mud off of one’s bare feet. The next photo shows most of the mechanical portion of my McCormick Daisy reaper restoration project, which I have mentioned in past posts.
Through its stay on a friend’s farm, it became covered with mud, clots of grease, dust, and leaves. I timed how long it took to clean it until it sparkled again—under a minute— and it required less water than flushing a toilet or the amount of cold water that has to be run before the hot water appears in the upstairs shower of our 110 year old house (being also a Californian, my wife collects it, hauls it down stairs, and puts it on her garden.)
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