11 Pressure Washer Accessories That Increase Efficiency, Improve Safety & Make Cleaning Easier

Pressure washers are great cleaning machines but there are several accessories that can increase their effectiveness, improve safety and give the operator a more enjoyable experience. Learn more about the functions and benefits of the top 11 pressure washer accessories and how Georgia Chemical can help you find the best options for your cleaning needs.

1. Surface Cleaners

Surface cleaners come in various widths and configurations and help with cleaning larger, flat areas like driveways, sidewalks, drive thru and parking areas with speed and consistency. Most come with side skirts to keep water spray under the unit and prevent damage from flying debris. Models with a return suction line can also remove the waste water that is created as it cleans. Larger surface cleaners usually come with wheels in various configurations to aid in keeping the unit in a flat cleaning plane over the surface.

As unit size increases, so does the amount of PSI needed to run it. There are also varying bar configurations with differing amounts of nozzles depending on the size and strength your cleaning requires. If you’re cleaning a wall, around objects or in tight spaces, then a hand held or single pole cleaner may be best.

GCE currently carries Whisper Wash, Mosmatic, General and Steel Eagle surface cleaners, however, we can order any specific brand or type you may need upon request.

2. Lances, Wands and Poles

A pressure washer will come with a standard gun and wand, but you may need to purchase additional attachments for your specific cleaning needs. Using longer lances and poles eliminate the need for ladders, increasing user safety.

Longer Lance Options:

  • Aluminum Lances provide added length without a lot of weight.
  • Dual Trigger Lances have high pressure and low-pressure controls all on one lance, making it simple to switch from soap to water.
  • Push and Pull Lancesare great for hard to reach applications such as trucks and heavy equipment
  • Extension Poles help you to reach higher cleaning areas.
  • Telescoping water fed wands help you reach higher to apply chemicals and rinse. Raising and lowering this wand is effortless. Note: Use the water pressure to adjust the length.

GCE carries a wide range of types and sizes from 2 feet to 24 feet and can order longer sizes upon request.

3. Specialty nozzles and tips

New pressure washer units usually come with the basic 4-5 nozzle tips in the most common sizes and patterns, but there are others you can get as well.

Turbo Nozzles rotate at a 0° stream of water in a pulsating cone shaped pattern to blast through dirt, oil and sticky substances like gum. These can only be used on hard surfaces that can handle harder pressure, but can make these tough jobs much easier to tackle.

Quick connect nozzles make it easy and faster to change out tips than with the normal treaded tips. These nozzles come with standard color surrounds to help easily identify the tip’s water pattern: Red – 0°, Yellow – 15°, Green – 25°, White – 40°, and Black is for the larger opening of a Soap application tip. Note: Some application tips may be blue, depending on the manufacturer.

An alternative to the quick connect nozzle is the dial nozzle, which holds all the different sizes of tips inside one round unit. This allows you to easily dial to the necessary size for each application. Note: Because the dial nozzle holds multiple tips, this attachment can make the wand much heavier than with a single tip nozzle.

GCE stocks a wide variety of quick connect and threaded tips as well as turbo and dial nozzles. Contact us to order the nozzles and tips for yours specific needs.

4. Chemical applicator systems

The chemical injector is what pulls a chemical mix from the container to your machine’s water line and combines the chemicals with the water for cleaning. Chemical applicators are used instead of having a chemical reservoir as a part of your machine that would pull the chemical either through the pump or just after water has passed the pump. Injectors come in different sizes depending on the water volume of your machine. Using the wrong size can make your cleaning less effective and can even damage your pump so be sure yours is rated for the volume of your machine. You can purchase injectors alone or as an entire unit with a hose and filter.

GCE carries individual chemical injectors; X-Jet and EC-Jet. These draw chemicals from a container and have changeable proportioners inside the unit that meter out different ratios of chemicals to water. They are attached to the end of the wand itself and increase the distance of your wash stream.

GCE also carries the X-Jet line with the M5 nozzle, M5DS Twist nozzle in varying sizes, extra proportioners, filters, and pail shaft for 5 gallon pails.

5. Foamers

Attached to the end of a wand or just the gun, foamers give volume to your soaps by mixing air with your chemicals to create foam that allows it to cling to a vertical surface, increasing your chemical dwell time. A small bottle reservoir attached to the nozzle pulls the chemicals up into the unit. And an adjustable knob on the unit regulates how much air is pulled in to change the size of the soap bubbles of the foam so you can adjust how thick you need the foam to be for the specific cleaning job.

GCE carries a few different manufacturers’ foamers, including Mi-T-M, that come with varying shapes of quart chemical bottles. GCE also has additional bottles to make switching out bottles and mixing different chemicals easier.

6. Spray Guns

Most guns that come standard with a pressure washer will wear out even with proper cleaning and replacement of worn-out O-rings. There are a variety of preferences when it comes to spray gun attachments, including handle grip, tension in the pull, angle of the handle, built in hose swivel, etc. Internal parts vary as well. Plastic guns typically wear out faster than those with stainless-steel or brass components.

Give us a call or contact us if you need assistance choosing a spray gun that’s best for your needs.

7. Brush attachments

Brushes that attach to the end of a wand or pole come in either stationary or rotary options. Rotary, or self-spinning, brushes actively scrub away the dirt and grime while the water washes the surface. This allows the operator to use less exertion and lower water pressure.

GCE stocks several brush attachments during busy season, and we can order the exact attachment you need at any time of year.

8. Broom attachment

Broom attachments sit on wheels and come in varying widths. Some also have a top cover to help reduce any spray back. Brooms are a gentler option for spray cleaning flat surface, like decks, without damage. Some may have a wiper placed behind the rolling bar that helps push the waste water and leaves a dryer surface.  There are also brooms that have upward facing spray nozzles made for cleaning things like vehicle under carriages.

Whether you’re looking for something specific or need guidance, GCE can order you the best broom attachment for your cleaning needs. Contact us today to order.

9. Gutter cleaning attachment

You do not need to climb up a ladder to clean gutters. Choose from a few different types of gutter cleaning attachments to make your job easier. A simple curved wand attaches to a straight wand and helps you angle your spray into the gutter to lift dirt and debris and push it down the downspouts.

The double water sprayer dispenses water out two directions along the inside of a gutter, either from a central round ball or from a “T” connector.

GCE carries the most popular gutter cleaning attachments and can order any others you may need upon request.

10. Edger attachment

Edger’s make cutting in to clean the edges of sidewalks, driveways and curbs super easy. Attached to the end of a wand, this handy tool rolls along the edge of concrete with a side shield to keep the spray from harming any vegetation that might be near the edge as well. While surface cleaners cannot always be placed to reach edges without running up on the grass or into a bed, edger’s can easily handle these areas and eliminate the need for hand wanding.

Edger’s are a specialty item that can be ordered upon request. Contact GCE today for all your edger attachment needs.

11. Miscellaneous items

Other small items that can make a difference when using your pressure washer include water filters, which keep grit out of your pump when using questionable water supplies, such as wells or reclaim tanks. Pivoting swivel couplers to use on hose attachments at your gun or reel. Wand shields or handles are safety features that can help reduce hot water burns and arm fatigue that can occur while cleaning with long wands.

Visit our store or call us and our staff will make sure to help you find the pressure washer accessories that fit your specific needs.