I Hated Scrubbing My Patio Furniture Clean—Now I Don’t Need To

I recently had a great experience testing the new DeWalt FlexVolt 60V MAX 1,000 PSI Power Cleaner during an end-of-season yard cleanup. Power cleaners are similar to electric or gas pressure washers that create a high pressure water jet for cleaning hard surfaces, but they are more compact and almost exclusively battery powered. Since pressure washers are a mainstay tool in building construction and maintenance, it’s no wonder that DeWalt has produced them for years. In this DeWalt FlexVolt 60V Power Cleaner review, I will share my experience from testing this unit and why I recommend it. 

DeWalt FlexVolt 60V MAX 1,000 PSI Power Cleaner: At a Glance
Our rating: 4.5/5

Testing the DeWalt FlexVolt 60V MAX 1,000 PSI Power Cleaner 

I tested the DeWalt power cleaner this fall when I had to put away patio furniture and outdoor pottery for the season. Since my regular pressure washer produces a 3,000 PSI stream, it’s great for the driveway, deck, and house siding, but not so much for small or lightweight items, or delicate finishes that are susceptible to damage. So I normally spend an afternoon with a scrub brush and soapy water cleaning these things before storing them. I took a chance this year using the 1,000 PSI power cleaner, and it did a great job. 

Essentially, using the power cleaner worked the same as cleaning with a big pressure washer. It came with a variety of different spray nozzles and a soap sprayer to accommodate different cleaning needs. But the moderate water pressure and reduced flow rate on the power cleaner afforded better control than I would ever have with my gas powered pressure washer. Also, it has the ability to intake water from either a hose outlet or a bucket of water, which makes it more convenient when a hose bib is not available. Best of all, it saved about 2 hours of scrubbing and allowed more time for everything to dry thoroughly after cleaning and before storing it for the winter. 

Just Right for Smaller Cleaning Projects

For cleaning small, lightweight items and sensitive surfaces, you need just the right amount of water pressure. Rated 1,000 PSI, this tool produces about 18 times the pressure of a garden hose, but less than half the pressure of most gas powered pressure washers. The kit includes a quick connect wand, turbo nozzle, 15-degree, 25-degree, and 40 degree nozzles, soap cannon, shoulder strap, suction hose with quick connect adapter, and a mesh storage bag. The kit I tested also came with a battery charger and 9 amp hour FlexVolt battery, but the tool is also available for a lower price without the battery. 

A Portable Power Cleaner That Boaters and RVers Will Appreciate

The DeWalt Power Cleaner is one of the most portable pressure-type cleaners I’ve used. It is significantly smaller than gas-powered or plug-in electric pressure washers. When disassembled, it is small enough to stow in a storage tote or large tool box. That makes it easy to transport also, which boaters and RVers will appreciate. The whole kit only weighs about 14.5 pounds.

As for mobility while working, one of my favorite features was the option to either tap into a hose outlet or pull water from any fresh water source. When an outdoor faucet was nearby, I connected to a garden hose as with any other pressure washer. But if I was working far from a faucet, I didn’t need to connect multiple hoses for longer reach. I simply brought a bucket of water to the project and used the included intake hose. It only took a few seconds for the self-priming pump to pull in water so I could start cleaning. The 1-gallon per minute flow rate meant that a 5 gallon bucket of water only provided 5 minutes of cleaning time. But a larger water source like a rain barrel, pool, or lake could provide nearly unlimited time.

Good Run Time and Modest Pressure for Light Duty Cleaning

For light duty cleaning over a larger area, the self-priming pump and 20-foot intake hose is less convenient. It doesn’t provide enough mobility, so I found myself constantly repositioning the bucket. I really liked the modest pressure for washing my car, but needed to connect to a garden hose that I could just drag around the car as I worked. It’s also important to note that this unit is not designed for tough cleaning jobs; for instance, it was under-powered for cleaning mildew off my driveway.

DeWalt claims that the included FlexVolt battery delivers up to 37 minutes of constant run time per charge, but that didn’t seem accurate to me. I actually got better results. With typical use patterns–intermittent trigger blasts of 5 to 30 seconds at a time–it gave me 90 minutes of cleaning time before depleting the battery. That was enough time to clean a patio table, four chairs, a bench, and about 30 garden pots of different sizes. So it really proved to be an ideal tool for small items. It did not damage my wood bench, chip clay pots, or knock over pottery, and I finished the job in about one-third the time it typically takes me to scrub everything by hand.

Why I Think the DeWalt FlexVolt Power Cleaner Is Worth The Premium Price

At a regular price of $349.00, the DeWalt 1,000 PSI Power Cleaner kit is one of the more expensive tools in its class, but with good reason. Most of the small cordless power cleaners are significantly less powerful, ranging between 300 and 700 PSI with flow rates averaging about 0.8 gallons per minute. This one delivers about double the cleaning power, and the kit I tested includes a high quality battery and charger. Those who already have DeWalt FlexVolt batteries could purchase the power cleaner as a bare tool for $199.00.

Buy the DeWalt FlexVolt 60V MAX 1,000 PSI Power Cleaner on:

Product Comparisons

So, is the DeWalt FlexVolt 60V MAX 1,000 PSI Power Cleaner right for you?

If you’re looking for a battery powered pressure washer that will perform similarly to gas, this one is not for you. The DeWalt FlexVolt 60V Max 1,000 PSI Power Cleaner is a light duty tool with cleaning ability on par with plug-in electric models. But it’s better than the corded ones, because you can take it anywhere. In fact, its compact size and portability may be the most compelling reasons to consider buying it. It can draw water for cleaning out of a bucket, barrel, pool, or pond if need be, and runs for more than an hour per charge.

The DeWalt power cleaner comes with all the accessories necessary for deep cleaning. The whole kit weighs less than 15 pounds, and packs down into a surprisingly small drawstring bag. It produces adequate pressure and flow to clear away a season’s buildup of dirt and grime from patio furniture and pottery, and it could keep your boat or RV neat and clean. If you would like to save time and energy that you used to spend on scrubbing. This could be a smart pick.

Meet the Tester

Mark Wolfe is a writer and product tester who spent 20 years in the nursery and landscaping industry. For more than twenty years he mowed, edged, planted, pruned, cultivated, irrigated, and renovated beautiful landscapes. Now he tests and writes reviews about the latest outdoor power equipment, hand tools, lawn care products, and other outdoor living goods.

 

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