While gas pressure washers require more maintenance, they're not the only kind that needs a little TLC.
Electric pressure washers are famous for being convenient and maintenance-free, but that doesn't mean they can be left in service during the off-season.
Some simple prep work will ensure that your hard-working pressure cleaner is ready to blast through another year of grime.
Turn off the pressure washer and unplug it from the outlet, then turn off the spigot or cut off the water source. Squeeze the trigger on the gun a few times until all water pressure is relieved and any remaining water has drained out.
Remove the garden hose from the spigot to disconnect the pressure washer from its water source. Be sure this is done last since you should never run a pressure washer without flowing water.
Detach the detergent tank from the pressure cleaner and rinse it thoroughly until all detergent is gone and the water runs out clean. Leaving any residual detergent in the detergent tank will cause build-up and can lead to clogging.
Now you're ready to remove the high-pressure hose that connects the spray gun to the pressure washer. Begin with unscrewing the gun from the hose and storing it in its place on the pressure washer. Then detach the other end of the hose from the pressure washer, leaving nothing attached to the hose.
First, be sure to remove your lance from the gun. Pour out any remaining detergent and place your lance and your gun in their respective storage places on the pressure washer. You can pour left-over soap back into your soap jug to be more conservative, then rinse out your detergent tank to minimize messes.
Rinse out your nozzle and hose with plenty of clean water to prevent clogging. If it's too cold out now to use your garden hose, rinse in a bathtub. Soaking these components in warm water can help to dissolve any build-up.
Straighten out your power cord and untangle any knots to prepare it for storage. Wind the cord around its storage hooks located on the pressure washer. Press the wound cord into the notch on the plug to hold it in place.
Store your high-pressure hose on its storage hooks. Wind the hose and store it neatly on its designated hooks, often located somewhere on the pressure washer handle. Collect and hang up your extension cord as well. Wind it into a circle and hang it on a wall-hook to keep it dry and easy to find.
Now that you've taken care to disassemble and organize your pressure washer and its parts, don't leave it out in the cold. You'll want to store your pressure washer in a place that won't reach freezing temperatures. Unless you've run pump saver through it, your pressure washer pump could freeze and crack if left where temperatures drop below freezing.
If your garage or storage shed gets cold, you must add a pump saver product like Pump Guard to keep the pump from freezing and cracking.