Pressure washers, which generate extra pressure to concentrate water into an efficient cleansing jet, can be useful machines for artists. If you have an indoor/outdoor workspace, like a garage, you can use one to clean paint and other substances off the floor. Mural artists can use a washer to clean moss and debris from a wall before painting. Creating a sidewalk installation? A power washer can sweep through pedestrian grime to yield a fresh canvas for your public intervention. You can even use a pressure washer to make art, as one North Carolina woman famously did, and even purchase stencils for this process.
When choosing a washer, you should pay attention to its cleaning power, measured in pounds per square inch (psi) and its flow, measured in gallons per minute (gpm). Varying each will result in different cleansing and lifting capabilities. For artists, a PSI of less than 2,000 should be more than sufficient for most cleaning needs, but in our picks below, we’ve included a couple of machines with even more force should you need it.
