It’s an age-old question around here: should I use a Hot Water or Cold Water Pressure Washer? 

While it might sound like an inconsequential choice, similar to using hot or cold water to wash your hands, there are definite costs and benefits that come along with choosing one over the other.

If you read our recent piece on the four elements of cleaning with a pressure washer, you’re probably already familiar with the four elements of cleaning: pressure, water volume, chemistry, and heat. 

Including heat as one of the primary four elements is no joke.

The Importance of Heat In Pressure Washing

Heat creates a powerful, high-speed reaction that causes cleaning agents to become more active and decreases the surface tension of water, allowing it to tackle grease and grime on a molecular level.

When there’s less surface tension, the quick-moving particles in the water expand and loosen up tough stains.

Any surface coated in grime or stained with grease or other petroleum-based substances will benefit most from hot water.

Surfaces coated in dirt or dust can sometimes be effectively cleaned with a cold water pressure washer, but hot water pressure washers can usually do the job faster. 

Next time you’re trying to decide whether to use hot or cold water think about washing dishes. Do you want to wash your dishes in cold water and struggle to remove the grime and grease, or break out the hot water and get your dishes clean in a fraction of the time?

Now, there are a few other considerations to take into account, such as expense.

Is the Added Expense of a Hot Water Unit Necessary?

Heating water under pressure is complex, and hot water pressure washers do require some preventative maintenance to keep them working smoothly.

But that doesn’t mean you should just make do with cold water or ignore the reality of a situation just to save money on your initial investment. Using a cold water pressure washer in a situation that requires heat is downright inefficient, using more labor and more detergent resulting in higher overall cost.

The bottom line is, take the time and energy to choose the right equipment for your cleaning needs, and remember that your time is worth money too. While hot water units can seem daunting, they are a great tool to have at your disposal.

Don’t be shy about asking for help from our distributor network. These professional cleaning experts know their cleaning equipment and will always recommend the right tools for the job, even if that means having Alkota build a custom pressure washer for your needs.

For more information on choosing the right pressure washer, check out the following post below.