Best pressure washer detergent UK: Top pressure washer detergent for patio and cars

Specification: Volume: 5 litres, Style: ‎Universal Cleaner, Use with pressure washer : Yes,

In our top spot, and the one which is easily the best option on the market, is the Kärcher universal cleaner (5L). This product costs £12.99, is amazon’s best choice for pressure washer detergent, and has almost 6000 ratings averaging at four and a half stars. Pretty much everything about this product is spot on and when it comes to pressure washer detergent, as  it has everything you need.

So, what’s so good about this product that puts it at the top of our list? And why are we so excited about pressure washer detergent? Well, even though it’s only cleaning fluid (not the most exciting thing you can think of, and certainly not as exciting as pressure washers themselves!), it really makes a difference when you’re cleaning and it’s actually very noticeable. Compared to your bog-standard, store-bought fluid that does a pretty standard job, you can see the difference in your cleaning.

This is probably because of the oil separator in the liquid itself which separates oil and water efficiently, and whilst you might not realise it, this is important because many surfaces have oil on and this means it can be cleaned off. You have the option to get specific car shampoo or just stick with the universal cleaner, which is ideal if you’re only going to be using your pressure washer for cars. If not, you can also choose the version of this product that includes stone cleaner to be mixed with the detergent, which is particularly useful for patios.

These additional options, as well as the fact that this can be dispensed directly into your pressure watcher, makes it the ideal product. 5L is the standard size for most detergent products, and for 12.99, this is actually a good price. It leaves a good looking shine on your surfaces and is just really easy to use.

There are some negative reviews that you might see at first, but most of these just seem to complain about the instructions being in German, not the product itself. Yes this isn’t ideal, but your pressure washer should have instructions on for detergent loading and since this product doesn’t need mixing, instructions aren’t that relevant. The only downside we’d say is that it’s specifically designed for Kärcher washers, so it might not work as well in standard washers. That said, most available pressure washers are Kärcher anyway, and if not, we’d definitely recommend getting one.

All in all, this is easily the best option out there, and for its price, you get what you need. You have the additional options which really come in handy if you want to power wash your car or stone surfaces (patios, wall, etc), and for £12.99, this is a good price. It’s easy to use, high quality, and sold by a brand that you can rely on, as Kärcher are well known for their good quality products. It might not be designed for washers other than Kärcher, but we tried it in our cheaper ones and it still did a good job, but it might be safer to stick with Kärcher anyway.

Specification: Volume: 5 litres, Style: ‎Hard surfaces, Use with pressure washer : Yes,

Second in our list is the Gunk power spray, quite a fitting name for a detergent which is not only cheap and universal, but easily the best second option and the best overall for non- Kärcher pressure washers which aren’t compatible with our first place option. It costs £9.89 currently (for 5L) and has an average four and a half star rating for over 150 reviews. We bought it because it fits the description of what we need and hasn’t got many reviews, so we tried it for ourselves and it’s safe to say it deserves this second place spot.

Its formula has been designed so that it fits all pressure washers, so whilst it wont use any specific chemicals for specific washers, it should still give you a clean that’s just as good. It gets tough stains out well and is particularly good for stone or tarmac, but it works with car parts too. It has oil-separation properties to get more gunk (literally) out of the surface, and it’s suitable for pretty much all surfaces according to the description.

Whilst it’s great for car parts, giving your car a power clean with it isn’t stated in the description, so for safety reasons it might be good to just use this one for all surfaces apart from cars. This isn’t ideal, but our next option in spot 3 covers that nicely, so this might be a suitable cheap option to get alongside number 3’s best car option. As well as this it can be irritable on the skin, but many detergents do this and so it’s never a bad idea to stick some gloves on. Apart from this, it’s a great detergent and is good value for money too, which is also the main benefit spoken about in reviews…we couldn’t recommend it enough!

Specification: Volume: 2.5 litres, Style: ‎best option for cars, Use with pressure washer : Yes,

Next up is the best option for cars, and straight away it is more expensive than others in this list as you only get 2.5L, so it’s not ideal if you’re doing plenty of washing on large or long surfaces. This is why we’re confident that it’s ideal for cars, as you shouldn’t go through it as quickly as you would on other surfaces. Overall it has over 9500 reviews averaging at four and a half stars, so you can feel reassured that it’s worth the money.

It’s a foam wash specifically designed for surface attachment on cars and to encapsulate dirt and grime, which is mostly because of its chemical properties designed specifically for increased molecule polarity to help it stick better. It creates a foam layer which really leaves a shine and leaves your car free of dirt. There’s plenty of other products available, such as pre and post wash foam, but this is the main one for washing. It’s safe, effective and does a better job on cars than any others in this list or even on the market in our opinion.

It has a couple of downsides though. Firstly, it’s expensive. Secondly, it comes with an adaptor so that you can load it into your washer, but they only include adaptors which mostly suit Kärcher washers, so unless you have the right attachments, you’ll need to buy a new one from the site (increasing cost more). We can’t lie though, this is definitely worth the money and is in a league of its own when it comes to car washing. Make sure to check out the additional Autoglym products on offer too so you can really make the most of your car wash.

Specification: Volume: 2.5 litres, Style: ‎Hard surfaces, Use with pressure washer : Yes,

Since we’ve included our pest car option, it’s only fair to include our best option for patios, and the Nilfisk detergent doesn’t disappoint. There are a few options by this brand and even car specific ones, but from what we see on the market, this is easily the best option for patios. It has an average of four stars for only 70 reviews but we wanted to try it ourselves, and we think it’s great.

It costs £11 and is only 2.5L, so it’s quite expensive, and that’s the only real reason it’s in fourth spot and not higher. However, if you want a really good clean of your patio and you’re not worried about the cost, this is ideal for you. It’s universal, high quality and will give you a lasting clean, so what else do you need?

It is also specifically designed for efficient stone cleaning too, meaning it makes the most of the pressure aspect of pressure washers, as this is the main property that matters when it comes to stone (unlike cars, where it needs to be more delicate) and it needs to be compatible with powerful washers. Some reviews have complained about oil spots leftover, so it’s not as good when it comes to really tough stains involving oil, but it’s still known to do a relatively good job on them. Apart from that, reviews have noted that it gives a great clean of patios in general and other stonework, and it’s clearly a high quality product when used right. We tried it ourselves and it barely left any spots behind, so overall we think it deserves the top place for patio-specific detergents.

Realistically, since it’s specific to patios (just like number 3 was for cars), it’s going to be more expensive, but you get the quality you need and it will give you a great clean…it might just not be best for tough oil spots.

Specification: Volume: 2.5 litres, Style: ‎Hard surfaces, Use with pressure washer : Yes,

Now this product may state that it is path cleaner (not much said about cars), but it’s easily the best option for some real heavy duty cleaning to get out some tough stains or mould, especially on older surfaces in need of renovation. Since it’s by JCB this is no surprise, and it certainly does the best job on these tough stains than any other products in this list, so we can’t recommend it enough. 5L costs £13.99, but it dilutes too, so you actually get a lot of use out of it.

With only 97 ratings at an average of four stars, we wanted to try it ourselves, and it doesn’t disappoint once again. It’s multifunctional in terms of not only cleaning dirt from your patio, it has a designed formula specific to beating any lichen, grime, algae or other biological agents which need to be rid of. This might not mean much at first, but agents such as algae and lichen thrive on stone, and this is what the nasty green stuff is that you see. It’s toxic to any plants and induces weed growth, so you really don’t want them. Therefore, having a formula to deal with this is excellent. It has what you need in a patio cleaner and should leave you with a lasting clean, especially in tough spots.

It’s a good price, deep cleaning and easy to use, so why in spot 5? Well, it’s not for cars and shouldn’t be used at all, and it’s only really multifunctional in terms of getting to the tough spots caused by biological agents. Whilst it doesn’t account for cars, you realistically won’t be using a pressure washer for really deep stain cleaning on your car as this is likely to damage it, so it doesn’t matter too much anyway. With this in mind, it really is only suitable for heavy surfaces too, not delicate stone. Either way, it’s perfect for heavy duty cleaning.

Specification: Volume: 5 litres, Style: ‎Universal Cleaner, Use with pressure washer: Yes,

In our final place spot is another Karcher detergent, but this time it’s what we recommend for the best mixed option. Since it’s going to be diluted, it doesn’t really matter too much if you don’t have a Kärcher washer, even though we would still recommend it. It says it’s designed for Kärcher  washers, but it really isn’t a make or break scenario. Overall, this mix solution has an average of four and a half stars but for over 50 reviews, so we needed to test it.

Compared to most mixed options (which in honesty dilute far too much), this product does a good job. You get your money’s worth and you don’t have to use too much of it at a time, but it still provides a good enough clean for a mixed option. It’s a Kärcher product too, so it’s more reliable than other brands and specifically designed for cleaning purposes. They come in small bottles and are nice and compact, so it’s ideal for storage and for easy use. Reviews note that it does what it says, is a good wash and easy to use, so what else do you want?

It’s a tad expensive, but as we said, you’ll get your use. Also, mixed options just don’t give a clean that is as strong as non mixed options, even if you don’t dilute it as much. It’s ideal for light cleaning and for getting new stains off your surfaces, but nothing heavier. It’s also not ideal for cars, so you have restricted use. This is why it’s in our sixth spot, but we would still recommend it just as much as the others in our list, it’s just not our go to option (based on personal preference).