Yesterday, in order to prepare our 2003 Pontiac Aztek for sale, I drove to Harbor Freight to buy a foam cannon for my cheap electric pressure washer. It was my first experience washing a car at home with anything more than just a hose and a bucket, and it was a game-changer.
You’ve probably seen foam cannons, as they make for satisfying Tiktok clips. These contraptions are just a way to spray a bunch of fluffy, cloud-like soap onto the outside of your filthy car. The soap alone only does so much to clean your machine, and, I found, the pressure washer with the soap is still not enough to get it perfect — you are likely still going to have to do some scrubbing with a towel.
Still, just look at how fun this is; you basically get to turn your car into what looks like a giant foam sculpture.
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Setting things up takes a bit of time. I had to grab my extension cord and my pressure washer from my shed. I then hooked up the extension cord to the wall, unfurled my hose, and then hooked the cord and hose to my pressure washer near my car.
I then hooked the wand up to the pressure washer, filled the soap bottle on the end of the wand, turned on the water, turned the pressure washer on, and then boom, we were making foam.
There are two ways to adjust the foam canon – you can adjust the foam amount and you can adjust the spray pattern — with the former adjusted up top and the latter adjusted right at the nozzle outlet:
Now, the question is whether it’s worth it; I bought my Ryobi Pressure Washer for $75; with a foam cannon attachment, you can be all-in for roughly $100. Add some soap and it’s maybe $120. How much does a typical car wash cost? If you’ve got a coin-op one near you, you can probably get by for about $5 (back in the day $2 used to be enough!). Do that once a month for two cars, and the pressure washer pays for itself after a year.
You might be thinking: But what about the water use? Doesn’t that cost? And is it worth the setup price over just using the hose with a standard garden-nozzle?
Pressure Washers Save Water And Money
The greatest thing about a pressure washer is that it can blast the bejesus out of a deep brake-dust stain on your aluminum wheel, revealing the shiny, glistening alloy beneath. The soap application, while not really that much more convenient than wetting a rag, is also fun. But one of the greatest advantages of a pressure washer is the water savings.
The Maryland Department of The Environment breaks down just how important an automatic shut-off nozzle is in a regular garden hose nozzle, and then points out how much more efficient a pressure washer is over that standard nozzle:
A standard garden hose uses about 10 gallons per minute. This means you use 100 gallons of water with only a 10-minute car wash. When you use an automatic shutoff nozzle on your hose, water does not flow continuously while you wash your vehicle, saving as much as 70 gallons per wash.
Using a power washer can conserve even more water; power washers use, on average, about 2 to 5 gallons per minute, with a potential savings of up to 80 gallons over using a standard house without an automatic shutoff nozzle.
I noticed this while washing the Aztek. By the time I rinsed, foamed, and then rinsed the Aztek again, the tiny amount of water flowing down the street from my wash hadn’t even managed to make it to the gutter before evaporating.
Given that my Ryobi power washer is a 1.2 gallon-per-minute unit, and I can foam my car in probably 20 seconds, that’s 0.4 gallons — I’m not even sure I could use that little water with a soapy rag in a bucket. I can also rinse the thing in well under 9 minutes, so the wash might take me 10 minutes overall. That’s only 12 gallons.
This table from the Maryland Department of The Environment shows that a typical hose with an automatic shut-off nozzle will use 30 gallons, and with no automatic shutoff it will use 100 gallons.
Meanwhile, a coin-operated self-serve car wash will use 15 gallons, while an in-bay or conveyor-style automatic wash can use between 30 and around 85, depending upon whose numbers you believe.
Of course, comparing these methods based on a 10 minute wash when they’re all flowing different amounts of water seems… dubious, but based on my eye-test, my little Ryobi used very, very little water to the point where I noticed it enough to look up the data above.
It’s worth noting that the data shows the total water used; it doesn’t factor in the fact that many car washes recycle their water. In fact, here are the rules in California when it comes to car washes recycling water, at least starting in 2014:
10951. An in-bay car wash or a conveyor car wash permitted and constructed after January 1, 2014, shall do either of the following:
(a) Install, use, and maintain a water recycling system that recycles and reuses at least 60 percent of the wash and rinse water.
(b) Use recycled water provided by a water supplier for at least 60 percent of its wash and rinse water.
But that rule only applies to in-bay and conveyor-style washes, which we know aren’t as efficient as rinsing a car yourself with a spray-gun/wand, so really, buying a pressure washer is both a great thing for the environment and a great thing for your pocketbook. Because boy these car washes are getting expensive.
For under $100 I stepped into this same thing – electric lower powered pressure washer with foam cannon. Harbor Freight rocks.
Soap for wash and other chemicals (bug cleaner, tire dressing, detailer, etc.) were about another $50. Add a few more bucks for microfiber cloths from Wally World. And, if can, stop using glass cleaner, buy a cheap trigger spray bottle, and use a vinegar/water solution. That stuff works wonders.
Took washing my cars down from about 45 min each to 20 min each, and it’s so simple. Drying them takes very little time afterwards.
If you really wanna get fancy, get a two or three level cart from HF to put all your washin’ stuff on.
OOOOOOhhh he said *scrubbing*…..
Awaiting my invitation to the Autopian First Annual Foam Party…
Good of you to be allowed to wash your vehicle on the street or driveway in the United States…
In Germany, it’s a big no-no as they damage the environment and pollute aquifers. If caught, the penalty goes up to €50,000 in some states.
I was surprised to see it. I saw a detailing video (AmmoNYC guy?) of a Countach somewhere in CA. They washed it outside parked on a tarp configured to prevent any runoff.
Yes, you are correct. Here’s the video…
I just found out that California does impose the restrictions similar to what Germany imposes.
last time i used a coin car wash it was the quarter car wash down on salina st, one quarter to wash, one quarter to rinse. i would use my on sale $70 pressure washer if i weren’t afraid of peeling the paint off…
I don’t wash my cars that much (yes, I’m lazy) but I’ve been wanting a smallish pressure washer for ages to wash the solar panels up on my roof.
David, I skimmed the Home Depot website for Ryobi electric washers, but didn’t see one that looked like yours. What model is it, and are you happy with it potential longevity wise? I.e. does it have any parts made of plastic that really ought to be metal? Thanks!
And Foam Cannon is just so much to think about. Kinda like a T-shirt cannon, but with lower operating costs.
In one of the dumber decisions I’ve been talked into, I owned a car wash with four self-serve bays with the wands and a drive-through brushless system in SE Texas for nearly three years. Based on my water bills, I think the numbers in your chart above are pretty overstated. Like your pressure washer, the actual volume of water used is relatively low, but its velocity is cranked up so high (the car wash had pumps that did 3,000 PSI) that it literally does blast stuff off.
SE TX is a tough environment to keep equipment running. High heat, high humidity. And then the assholes that dump all the crawfish bodies after a boil in the trashcans. OMG! The smell.
Who washes their car by leaving the hose running for 10 minutes. You fill the bucket, then spray some water on the car, then turn it off. You then wash with your chosen device (towel, mitt, sponge) and rinse off segments as you wash them (I can only do about 20% of my car at a time or else the sun will dry the soap on there.
Even if you’re not leaving it run for 10 minutes the GPPM on the pressure washer is way lower
I actually stopped using my similar pressure washer for washing cars. Not enough volume of water to quickly rinse the soap off. 10 seconds with the hose and a good nozzle works better than a minute with the PW, plus the set up time for the PW was getting to be obnoxious.
Foam cannon!!!! This actually looks pretty sweet; since my good brush got used as a snow broom this past winter, I need to upgrade my car washing equipment.
Sold, good argument. Gonna have to get me one lol.
Plus think of all the non-auto things you can do!
A standard garden hose does not flow 10 gallons per minute. Time how long to fill a 5 gallon bucket. My hose flows 5 gallons per minute.
I’ve never timed it, but I bet I’d be lucky to be getting 2 gpm.
Depends on many variables, such as water pressure, hose diameter, supply line diameter and hose bibb diameter.
In my case, it’s the supply to my house. The stub to my property from the main is at the lowest point on my property and my house sits about 30ft higher in elevation and runs about 400ft from the stub to house. So a good chunk of the 80 psi that the water company limits the meter to is used just to get the water to my house.
Standard house pressure 50-70 psi, garden hose diameter is a standard 5/8″, hose bib diameter is a standard 5/8′. None of that adds up to 10 gallons per minute.
Just ran an experiment at my house. 40 seconds to fill a 5 gallon bucket. However, I have a 1/2″ hose bibb, and a 3 foot section of 1/2″ hose that attaches my hose reel to the bibb. 5/8″ hose. So get rid of the 1/2″ restrictions and I could potentially see 5 gallons in 30 seconds, which would equal 10 gallons in a minute. I do think our pressure runs a little high in my area (I don’t have a quick way to measure it.)
I love detailing now with a foam cannon and electric pressure washer. I actually start with a dry vehicle, and spray it down with the suds to help loosen the dirt, then after 5 minutes do the pre-rinse. After that, it’s my trusty suds bucket with grit catcher (I used to do the two bucket method but stopped after I started doing the foamy pre-rinse).
There’s really no right or wrong way to wash, so long as you aren’t pouring the used bucket water on top of your vehicle after you are finished (thanks a lot for starting me off on the wrong foot Dad!)
My dad was pretty lax; he had one of those hand-mits and a single bucket.
Honestly, probably fine for most!
You are of course correct about hand mits and buckets, but please, DON’T pour the dirty water over the car when done!!
I have a power washer, but also a white Hyundai. I lost paint on the hood last year from hose pressure. I’d hate to see what 1800 psi would do to it.
Of course, I would save time on waxing…
Not a white Hyundai! My brother’s white Elantra also lost paint.
Yep. I need to chat with Hyundai about it, though I gather they aren’t oaying for repaints.
I have seen other similar age Hyundais with way worse paint than mine though.
I don’t have a pressure washer, so add that to the $100 or whatever. If I still have to use a sponge (or the mitt I use now), is it worth $200+?
The $100 included the pressure washer.
The unit David got was great for washing cars. If you want to powerwash patios, walkways, etc, a bigger unit would give you some more versatility and if you’re using it a couple times a year a used one might be a good bet to get more performance for the same money.
Eh, I have the same pressure washer and I use it for the patios and sidewalks once a year, I even got the little surface cleaner attachment for 25 bucks brand new. I still have my old gas powered unit, but the hassle of dragging it out and how well the electric does means it just collects dust
David Tracy . . . Management. Homeowner. Husband. Father. Won’t be long before you get fired up when you see mulch is on sale.
It’s been a wild ride watching him evolve from a Detroit rust-goblin into a full fledged suburban dad.
My local Alternative radio station says it best.
“You’ve grown from an Angry Young Man, into a Perturbed Suburban Dad.”
Next stop . . . “Wistful Retiree.”
It’s like a real-life “Truman Show” sometimes.
Brought to you by “ADULTING, not just something you see in grainy, black and white videos from the 1950’s.”
Can confirm.
New neighborhood. Houses built with irrigation.
Chest swelled with old-man pride when my neighbor and I agreed to alternate our adjacent zones.
It was a real game-changer.
WHERE?!?!?
Kramer: (Spraying his flowers) Hello, neighbor.
Jerry: Boy, those azaleas are really coming in nicely.
Kramer: Oh, you gotta mulch. You’ve got to.
It’s no wonder NBC passed on the reboot.
They also sell these dual nozzle attachments for pressure washers, so you can keep the pressure nozzle and the foam cannon attached at all times. I always do the wheels first with the cannon, one side at a time, so it was a lot of back and forth taking the foam cannon off, putting the nozzle on, etc. Now I just flip a valve to go back and forth between pressure and foam. Between that and the ceramic coating letting me dry them with a leaf blower washes are super easy and fast, which is good because I’m fastidious when it comes to my paint.
I have a slightly bigger electric power washer with 2 soap bottles on it. It has a soap nozzle and a knob that lets you draw in soap from the reservoir. This appears to be a more up to date model of what I have. https://www.amazon.com/Sun-Joe-SPX3000-Pressure-14-5-Amp/dp/B00CPGMUXW/ref=sr_1_9
It works almost as good as my foam cannon.
My process is:
Rinse with power washer
Soap with power washer
Bucket wash with additional soap and water
Rinse with power washer
A couple times a year I use my clay mat and at least once a year a ceramic spray coating.
“Foam Cannon” was my college nickname, though I never learned why.
To paraphrase king Julian “who washes?”
People in the rust belt who want their car to last.
Or why I buy my used cars from California living in Wisconsin
$5 for a coin-operated self car wash? Only if you’re happy just rinsing the car. I can barely soap, brush, and rinse my tiny roadster on $5, and that’s going as fast as I can so I don’t run out of time and have to re-up to the tune of another $5.
A small crossover comparable to the Aztek will cost you $10 if you actually want it clean, not just wet.
Ten bucks at the minimum, fifteen if you want to use the spot-free rinse or the blow dryer. Fortunately my favorite self-service place is pretty permissive about you bringing your own stuff (e.g. a bucket, or wheel cleaning tools). As long as it’s not super busy you can minimize your spend and maximize your wash time if you need to do a contact wash or a spray-on topper.
The spot next to me is $2.50 at a time. That’s just enough time for me to get everything wet and soapy so I can go over it when the time runs out. Then another $2.50 to rinse, which again is just enough time. So I can get it done for $5, but barely (and keep in mind that I worked at a car wash for a while so I’m probably quicker than most).
I have the ryobi foam cannon cheap pressure washer and use it on the car and mats, vinyl siding, deck and patio, propane tank (1000 liters), garden tractor. I use a soft sponge to knock off the grime then spray off with a low pressure nozzle. I use a 50:50 mix of dishwashing liquid and 10% cleaning vinegar. You have to use common sense with the pressure washer and not use high pressure on the car paint, deck or patio.
I then use some of the usual cleaning products on the car and tractor for the paint and a Bissel steam cleaner for the carpets.
Keeps everything clean and shiny. We live in the country in a forest and mold grows on everything if you let it go.
Pressure washer on the mats is definately a pro-tip. Great on the all-weather rubber matts that have the deep grooves, but also great on carpeted mats (just make sure you can leave them somewhere sunny for a couple hours).
I have had the same Ryobi pressure washer DT has for years. I usually hit the driveway/porches/lawn chairs once a year and then wash the cars with it once a month. I’ll use a foam cannon but still use a bucket with it as well to really get a deep clean depending on how dirty my car is.
I bought mine for $60 on sale and it has paid for itself many times over by this point.
In a certain east coast city there are all sorts of anti graffiti laws concerning painting or postering.
Turns out there was no law keeping people from doing “unauthorized cleaning”, so armed with a power washer, high visibility vest, and some stencils an artist friend was having a field day.
That is awesome and I hope it catches on. Can you suggest he takes it to the next step and starts patching potholes with cool designs?
There are several artists doing that
This French guy who go by “ Em Em Em”:
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2021/may/01/the-artist-who-fills-potholes-with-mosaics-in-pictures
And of course in the US, there is Jim Bachor who is the best known
https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=c173bc27a76e97b6&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS770US770&sxsrf=AE3TifORv7mAiYvUBY37jFh6dwbAcT38KQ:1752024800580&udm=2&fbs=AIIjpHxU7SXXniUZfeShr2fp4giZ1Y6MJ25_tmWITc7uy4KIeiAkWG4OlBE2zyCTMjPbGmPgfe_7ak8LUsonpWCvT6w6csnyTymMQ2XHqFKxVhyiTsB7_xjE7pCrlhvgmABFb-qvUXFeXLKmP5HUMuOwzi3WnYui_lj4KK5DDCXpIqsnl62Ret2e_MUqQ1oRapyUqwUPIk8KaocHucTHNXE8BYer8HcLJWt7FPeeoEFu-UVSBVvrBDw&q=jim+bachor+pothole+art&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjqkoH_0K6OAxUUIUQIHXiVIg8QtKgLegQIDxAB&biw=375&bih=613&dpr=3
Wow. That’s awesome, maybe humanity isn’t doomed after all. 🙂
Lovely aren’t they?
The house I grew up in was damaged by an earthquake and cracks from the California Central Valley settling. My mother, a ceramic artist saw something similar and decided that instead of repairing the cracks, she would enlarge them with a power hammer and fill them in with mosaic tiles that she made.
So now the house has veins of mosaic running through it. And a fishpond with a bridge in the middle of it.
I see stuff like that and say it’s like my mom’s house and I get funny looks.
It’s going to be interesting selling it, it’s sort of an art piece, but it’s time for me to go back to the east coast.
Reminds me a bit of the Japanese “art of repair” or kintsugi which highlights the cracks with gold filler. I ordered a kit. Easy and satisfying DIY https://theconversation.com/how-the-philosophy-behind-the-japanese-art-form-of-kintsugi-can-help-us-navigate-failure-193487
Power washers are must have game changers for homeowners… you’ll be stunned at how much stuff you can clean with one. Cars, houses, siding, driveways, sidewalks, the possibilities are endless!
Oh yeah. I have a deck and a cheap power washer that came with a spinning thing that you push around the deck and it makes the deck look brand new in an hour or so. Or gives it a wild swirly pattern in 30 minutes. My daughter went to town and did our entire driveway with it and you had to wear sunglasses to drive up to the house for about 2 weeks.
TRUE. I bought a power washer years ago when I was refinishing my deck and then I realized I’d just reinvented washing my cars. Paid for itself easily, plus it was fun in (as others have observed) a Suburban Dad way.
I’ve been looking at the Karcher K1700 and it’s currently 55% off for Prime Day. But I gotta move in six months and don’t know if/when I’ll be able to use it after that. Hose and nozzle works fine, but cleaning my wheels is considerably easier and less hard on my back/knees with a pressure washer. Wheel cleaner and towel route makes it hard to stand for a day.
A milk crate or low stool to sit on is what you want. Also, I don’t plan on walking with a cane for another ten years, but for picking stuff up off the ground I really try to plan ahead and have a cane.
As Jagger and Richards so eloquently wrote “what a drag it is getting old”
I’ve contemplated a cane already. My life goal is to the cranky old man waving his cane and yelling at the whippersnappers to get off his lawn. I’ve always had a salt and pepper beard, but it’s got a lot more salt these days and my hair is already turning grey. Getting old is the worst.
The last time I waxed a car my back went into spasms and I lost a week of work. It’s sad what I’ll pay others to do now.
“Getting old is the worst.”
Well, there IS another option….
Hot damn, I’d be happy to complain about my hair turning grey… Going bald is the worst, except my wife has never known me with hair.
So would my brother. He’s younger than me and started going bald at 28, so he keeps his head shaved. Mine is normally too short to notice, but it’s been a couple months since I trimmed it.
Well… technically NOT getting older is worse! But I’m right there with you.
“Getting old is the worst.”
I respectfully disagree.
Not getting old is worster.
Getting old just means that life in prison is less of a deterrent.
Shoot, doesn’t that mean I don’t have to worry about paying bills, mowing the lawn and if my 401k is going to be enough to retire?
If they allowed me to bring my own mattress for my janky back, I would be tempted.
Just make sure you commit your capital offence in a non-death penalty state. Hell, in a liberal enough state, you could probably get them to provide an orthopedic mattress as well as a weekly visit from a physical therapist who is too inept to succeed in private practice!
Well, I just gave in and bought the Kärcher. Per Monique there’s a spigot outside and she also washes her car every week, but she pays at a place down the road. This will pay for itself fast.