There’s something hard-wired into us that fills us with satisfaction when we clean something dirty. Practically every cleaning product ad banks on this by showing their product as it cuts through nasty messes, but few tools do it better in real life than a power washer. That’s what makes these before-and-after power-washing pics gathered from Reddit so lovely.
Power washing had a colorful start for such a relatively mundane and widespread cleaning technology. Did you know that power washing was invented during, and essentially in response to, the Prohibition era in America? Necessity is the mother of invention! (H/T)
01. Sweet And Sad. My Uncle Lost His Wife A Few Years Ago. Still Misses Her Dearly
02. Indian Sandstone
03. A 400m Power-Washing Mural On The Vouglans Dam In France
First of all, we’ve got to acknowledge how satisfying – sometimes even cathartic – a picture of newfound cleanliness can be! The fact that an entire online community is created around sharing photos like these speaks for itself. But what does that say, other than “Ooooh, so nice and clean”?
04. Cathedral-Basilica In León, Nicaragua – Roof Restoration
05. Quite Happy With How This Deck Cleaned Up
06. I Restored A Family Heirloom
Insights from several different fields seem to indicate that order and cleanliness tend to have a positive impact on our mental health and sense of well-being. Spending time in a clean space and even cleaning can reduce stress and have all sorts of cognitive benefits for people suffering from anxiety or depression.
07. From Brown To Red Power Washing
08. Erasing 25 Years
09. I Now Have Clean Balls
In one study, college students who received “mindful dish-washing instruction” ed improvements in several positive mental state attributes and reductions in negative ones. It’s not entirely clear precisely what those mindful cleaning looked like, but we imagine that staying focused on a cleaning session’s positive impact on your life might be a good start.
10. I Bought A Sailing Boat That Had Been Stood Unused For 15 Years. Nothing That A Good Clean Can’t Fix
11. Patio Before And After Power Washing
12. Bringing A Pond Back To Life
Another poll even suggested that participants experienced a mild adrenaline rush in response to cleaning compared to what one might experience while watching a race.
According to the study: “One hundred percent of study participants agreed that cleaning provides peace of mind and a sense of control over one’s environment, 82 percent liked to admire their work after a good clean, and 81 percent felt a sense of accomplishment when they finished the task. In fact, after cleaning, participants felt more determined, inspired, and proud and less jittery, nervous, and hostile.”
13. Imperial Castle In Poznan, Poland
14. My Sister + Power-Washer = Excellent Results
15. A Quick Walk Clean
So that’s why you feel good when you clean and see these lovely power washing before-and-after pics! But what about the colorful history of power washing that we mentioned earlier? Well, read on for some interesting history tidbits!
16. Adirondack Chairs Before And After
17. Before, During, After
18. My Mom Cleaned The Pool
The first power washer was invented in 1926 by Frank W. Ofeldt II. Frank was an engineer at a boiler manufacturer in West Philadelphia. Frank, not wholly content with his lot in life, decided to get his hands on a piece of the Prohibition-era pie by spending his evening’s engineering stills for local bootleggers.
19. My Uncle Owns A Power-Washing Business. So Satisfying
20. Brick Steps
21. Before And After
One night, he noticed that steam streaming from a hose he had was pushing a puddle of grease around on the ground. He immediately understood the potential for this application but also understood that some cleaning agent would need to be added since he was working with grease. Thus began his experimentation and the invention of the “Hypressure Vapor Spray Generator,” which a shrewd marketer later renamed the “High-Pressure Jenny.”
22. Unearthed My Overgrown Front Path
23. My Dad Power-Washed This Little Alcove On His House
24. So Rewarding- Hasn’t Been Touched In 30 Years
Later, a German engineer named Alfred Kärcher improved the design and built a power washer brand that became a household name for pressure washers.
25. My First Power-Wash. Loved It
26. Got It Done Today. Fountain Was All Cleaned Up
27. Stone Cleaning
28. My Grandmother Needed Her Deck Cleaned, But This Was More Pleasing
29. Before And After. A Satisfying Few Hours
30. First Time The Roof Has Been Cleaned In Years. Maybe Decades
31. I Just Bought My First House And Thought My Shutters Were Green
32. My Floor Was So Dirty I Was Able To Create A Chessboard Pattern Just By Power-Washing
33. Old Fire Pit Work In Progress
34. First Power-Wash After Being Outside For 25 Years
35. Power-Washing Progress Of The Louvre, Paris
36. Before And After Of Pressure-Washing The Stairs
37. Before And After
38. Before And After Photos Of Pressure-Washing The Stone Wall In Front Of My House
39. Before And After Power Washing
40. It’s That Time Of The Year Again
41. I Think It’s Safe To Say That This Took Place In The Top 3 Dirtiest Trucks I’ve Ever Washed. Something A Little Different For Y’all
42. Would You Like To Sit On My Deck?
43. House Was Built In 1820. Probably It’s First Power-Wash Ever
44. Did My First Power-Washing Job
45. A Fun Gradient Of A Pressure-Washed Fence
46. Dirty Chair On Sunny Day. Only One Thing For It
47. Deck Steps After A Long Winter
48. There’s A Beautiful Deck Hiding Beneath This Ugly, Old Stain
49. 15 Years Without Being Power-Washed Till Yesterday
50. Slowly Making Progress Over Lunch Each Day
Like what you’re reading? Subscribe to our top stories.
Discussion about this post