Got curious about pressure washer water use after seeing my last water bill. Grabbed my machine and decided to track exactly what happens. Figured I'd share the messy details.

The Awkward Start

First day, I hooked up my regular garden hose like always. Fired up my electric pressure washer – not even the super powerful gas one – to clean the driveway. Didn't think much about water. Just sprayed. Felt good blasting away that grime, honestly. Aimed at a small section, maybe 10 feet by 10 feet. Finished it and thought, "Hey, piece of cake." Didn't feel like I used that much.

Bucket Reality Check

The next weekend, decided to be smarter. Before starting, I grabbed an empty 5-gallon bucket. Placed it under the pressure washer's water outlet before turning it on. Just the pump sucking water, no spraying yet. Switched it on and timed exactly one minute. Watched that bucket fill right up. Turned it off. Poured out the water. Measured carefully.

Holy buckets!

• The pump alone gulped over 2 gallons per minute just sitting there ready to work. No cleaning happening yet! Felt kinda stupid never checking that before.

The Cleaning Test

Okay, now for the real deal. Put on my usual wide-spray nozzle. Marked a specific section of dirty patio slabs – 5 feet by 5 feet. Ready? Started spraying properly. Worked quickly, back and forth. Got it acceptably clean. Checked the stopwatch: about 90 seconds.

• Water used for that tiny patch? Roughly 4 gallons. Seemed excessive for just a couple of square yards.

Then I switched nozzles. Put on a narrower, higher-pressure one. Did another 5x5 patch nearby. Similar dirt level. Required way more care and closer passes to avoid stripping the concrete. Took longer – closer to 3 minutes. But the water? Only about 1.5 gallons this time! That felt like hitting something.

Finding Smarter Ways

Slapped my forehead. Eco-guilt slapped me harder. Started trying tricks anyone can do:

• Pre-Soak: Next test spot. Didn't just start spraying. Filled a cheapo pump sprayer with just plain water. Spritzed the whole dirty section really well. Let it sit for a good 10 minutes. The dirt loosened. When I hit it with the pressure washer (using the narrower nozzle now!), the grime melted away much faster. Time used? About 45 seconds. Water used? Barely 1 gallon. Boom! That cut the water for cleaning that section by more than half compared to the first wide-nozzle spray.
• Ditch the Trigger: Realized I kept my finger squeezing the trigger constantly, even while moving between spots. Made myself consciously release the trigger every single time I stopped moving the wand, even for just seconds. This tiny habit? Saved way more water than I expected.
• Target Better: No more lazy waves over everything. Focused that stream only where needed. Siding with caked-on mud? Went for it. Clean brick right next to it? Left it alone. No indiscriminate spraying.

What Actually Cut My Water Bill

So yeah, pressure washers are thirsty. But here’s the real-world savings I saw:

• Before any tricks: Used maybe 4 gallons for that tiny patch. Felt normal.
• After pre-soaking and smarter nozzle & trigger use: Down to about 1 gallon for the same size area.
• That’s saving 3 gallons every few minutes!

Think about cleaning a whole driveway or deck. Multiply those saved gallons. It adds up fast on the water meter. My next bill was noticeably kinder. Simple awareness and a couple free/cheap changes made the real difference. No fancy gear needed.