Is Dawn Safe For Pressure Washer Or Not?

​When you use your pressure washer, one of the things that you’ll need is detergent. Detergent will help take off the thick dirt and grime that you’ll usually have a hard time with if you just use water.

​Now, one of the most popular brands of pressure washing detergent is none other than Dawn. Dawn has some of the strongest detergents that you can find in the market. But a big question that most beginners have is that, “is dawn safe for pressure washer?”

​Do remember that there are some detergents that are too harsh for some pressure washers to take. In this article, we’re going to answer the question, “is Dawn dish soap safe for pressure washer?”

​If it isn’t, then we’ll also tackle the question, “what kind of soap can I use in my pressure washer?”

​What Is Dawn?

​First, let’s understand more about Dawn and why it is often used with pressure washers. Most people find Dawn detergents really effective which is why they’re pretty popular. It is a recommended brand especially for beginners who want to start cleaning dirt off the walls of their homes or patios.

​With that out of the way, we’ll see whether or not it’s a safe bet.

​Is It Safe To Use Dawn For Your Pressure Washer?

​Now, the short answer, and the really good news here is that Dawn detergent is actually very safe. It’s the type of detergent that has the strength of soap that’s pretty close to dishwashing soap. That’s why this product is often referred to as Dawn dishwashing liquid.

​When you put the detergent into your pressure washer system, nothing bad is going to happen. Just to give you an idea, you can put the detergent either in your detergent reservoir or put it in an external reservoir that’s connected to the pressure washer.

​No matter what method you use, you won’t have to worry about damaging your pressure washer since this doesn’t have the strength of heavy-duty cleaners. That’s why it’s highly recommended for starting users of pressure washers.

​Probably the only thing that you need to worry about is whether or not the detergent can clog your pressure washer system or not. But this is a pretty simple problem to deal with. All you need to do is dilute your detergent with more water so that it won’t become so thick.

​What Pressure Washer Detergent And Soaps Are Safe To Use?

​So now that we know that Dawn is pretty safe to use, let’s take a look at some of the ingredients that you may want to look for when you want to buy a pressure washer detergent. No doubt that Dawn is actually a product that has dishwashing properties and has a lot of Dawn dish soap uses.

​That being said, we can also say that the ideal ingredients that you should look for in a pressure washer detergent product should be pretty similar to dish soap ingredients. In any case, let’s take a look at them below:

• ​Surfactants

​First of all, there are the surfactants. Now, Dawn dish soaps use a lot of chemical surfactants in order to both pull the oil out of surfaces and mix the water with the oil to wash it away. Normally, oil and water won’t attract but a surfactant can change that. That’s why it’s possible for detergent to help take out oily stains like grease.

• ​Buffers

​Buffers include chemicals like potassium carbonate. The benefit of buffers is that they make sure the compound isn’t too acidic or alkaline. If it’s either of the two, you may damage your machine.

• ​Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

​Next is sodium lauryl sulfate. While surfactants may help take away grease, it’s the sodium lauryl sulfate that specializes in dissolving greasy surfaces.

​Conclusion

​So now that we’ve answered the question, “is dawn safe for pressure washer?”, you’re free to use your Dawn dish detergent anytime you want for your pressure washing activities. Just make sure that you follow the instructions on your pressure washer’s manual when cleaning using soap.

​Also, you can find detergents that have similar ingredients such as Dawn dish soaps. All you need to do is find the right one for you and you’re good to go.