Is it okay to use a pressure washer on your bike? The cases for and against spraying your bike clean

We’ve all heard horror stories of people wrecking bearings and paintwork with pressure washers, so that means you should never take one anywhere near your bike, right? On the flip side, professional teams use pressure washers on their bikes all the time, and they’re a feature of mountain bike trail centres too, so we’re really getting mixed signals here. It’s a controversial subject with arguments both ways, so we’ve asked the experts for a steer to find out once and for all if it's ok to take a pressure washer to your bike. 

The case against pressure washers

If you ever mention bikes and pressure washers in the same sentence, you’re guaranteed to get a barrage of warnings: “My mate used a pressure washer and ruined his brand-new wheels", or “I know a bloke who took the decals off his high-end road bike with a pressure washer". 

That kind of stuff. But is there any truth in this?

In short, yes. Set a powerful pressure washer to stun and you can certainly damage your bike. That someone who damaged his bearings? Yeah, that probably happened, and messing up the paintwork is sometimes possible too. Bike shop mechanics see the results all the time. 

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Many brands advise against the use of pressure washers. Ribble’s advice is typical.

“We would always advise you to avoid cleaning your bike with a pressure washer where possible,” it says. “The high-powered jet emitted from such a device or that of a hosepipe is liable to disperse grease from the bearings whilst forcing dirt/grit into critical components, leading to premature wear.”

Shimano’s take is broadly similar.

“Our advice for cleaning and maintenance of your bike would be to always consult the service manuals for Shimano products, which are freely available at si.shimano.com,” says Jonathan Davis, Shimano’s PR & Communications.
 
“In any event, we would recommend using warm, soapy water, and to avoid pressure washing for any detailed work – especially for press fit and/or sealed bearings.
 
“On top of regular cleaning, having your bike tuned up and checked regularly by a professional mechanic is something that should be done based on riding habits and the recommendations from your dealer. It is also important to pay attention to any changes in the sound and feel of how your bike is riding, so if a bike wash has resulted in any creaks or sluggish responses, visit your nearest dealer,” Davis continues.

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Over at Trek, the guidance is pretty much the same again. 

“Trek does not have an official policy on pressure washing but we do advise good old-fashioned common sense,” says the brand’s customer services. “Pressure washers will certainly take off grime and dirt, but they can also blast out lubrication in moving parts – not a good thing. We would suggest not using pressure washers anywhere near bearings on the headset, bottom bracket, hub axle, etc," the American bike brand says. 

But what should we do, then? Trek says:

“The best technique we use is a bucket of hot water, with mild detergent and a clean sponge. If you can wash the bike straight after the ride this will normally suffice. If you leave the bike stewing in filthy dirt for several hours or days, the cleaning becomes more of a chore.”

Of course, none of us would ever leave a bike dirty, would we? Cough!

While we’re about it, let’s hear from Hunt, the British wheel brand. It knows a thing or two about bearings.

“Jet washing can be extremely useful for cleaning, but at Hunt, we generally do not recommend this as best practice for bike maintenance,” says technical manager Dan Clark.

“We find the issue often isn’t the process of jet washing itself, but in the aftercare. It's crucial to ensure that components are adequately dried off and re-lubricated after jet washing before storing the bike. Simply putting the bike away without proper cleaning and drying can lead to issues down the line.”

If you do use a pressure washer, care is needed

You get the picture. That’s Ribble, Shimano, Trek, and Hunt all saying that you’re better off avoiding pressure washers and that if you do use one, you need to be really careful to prevent damage.

Denmark’s CeramicSpeed – a brand best known for its Oversized Pulley Wheel Systems (although it makes plenty of other components too) – mostly agrees. Like the other companies (above), it says that it’s not advisable to direct a pressure washer specifically at the bearings on your bike, but that it understands how and why it can happen, especially when cleaning around the cassette and crankset areas. 

“Just as when riding for an extended period in heavy rain or extreme riding conditions, the bearing seals and grease protection can be overwhelmed by the volume and pressure of water exerted against them,” says CeramicSpeed’s head of product Paul Sollenberger.

“While our SLT-equipped bearings (headset and pivots), contain solid lubrication [SLT stands for Solid Lubrication Technology] that cannot be washed out by force, our traditional hand-built hybrid ceramic bearings would just need to be serviced and refilled with the appropriate grease following moisture ingress typical of pressure washing. 

“All of our bottom bracket, hub, and pulley bearings can be serviced and cleaned by accessing the face of the bearing and removing the seal. We recommend properly cleaning the bearing to ensure fine contaminants were not forced in during the pressure washing, and then applying the clean UFO grease of choice and reinstalling or replacing the seal. 

“All in, it would be more time-efficient to avoid pressure washing around the bearings when cleaning the bike, but with the appropriate service and aftercare, we do not need to worry about pressure washing around our bearings.”

The details will vary between brands, but you get the idea.

Why, then, would anyone want to use a pressure washer? Funny you should ask…

The case for pressure washers

Even though many brands advise against using pressure washers, plenty of cyclists are tempted by them as a fast and effortless way to clean a bike.

Go to a pro team’s hotel at a big race and it won’t be long before you see a mechanic pressure-washing a bike in the car park. They’re always at it. If they’re not pressure washing those shiny team coaches, they’re giving the bikes a quick blast. If pressure washing was bad for a bike, they wouldn’t be doing it, would they? 

We’d advise against that reasoning. 

First, these guys are professionals and they know what they’re doing. Second, they're usually in a massive hurry to get through a whole team’s bikes, so saving time is a priority. Third, these bikes get thoroughly checked over, re-greased and rebuilt regularly, so any problems won’t remain problems for long. Plus, if anything is damaged during pressure washing, pro teams have a lot of spares provided by their sponsors.

We’re not saying you should never take inspiration from the pros, but their doing something doesn’t mean it’s best practice for you. That said, there are plenty of amateur riders who do pressure wash their own bikes without ill effects.

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When we ran a review of a Kärcher K7 Premium Smart Control Home High Pressure Washer (snappy name, that) on road.cc recently, KiwiMike – who happens to be road.cc reviewer Mike Stead – commented underneath:

“Living in Scotland, 3/4 of rides end in a scunge-covered bike. I have a Kärcher K3 machine just inside the garage door, and the bike - gravel, MTB or road, acoustic or electric - gets cleaned immediately before anything dries. So do legs and shoes. 

“Seven years into this near-daily regime, having pulled apart wheels, freehubs, headsets, forks, shocks and pivots on a regular basis, I can 100% confirm that there is no risk to any component if a pressure washer is used sensibly. Water ingress is simply not an issue. If you live somewhere mucky, life's too short not to use a pressure washer. Don't listen to advice that judicious pressure washing a bike is bad. Those saying so have no idea what they're talking about.”

Notice that Mike uses the words “sensibly” and “judicious”, in the same way that Trek earlier on advised us all to employ “good old-fashioned common sense”. Firing a powerful pressure washer at your bearings at point-blank range: well, that’s asking for trouble, isn’t it? 

It won’t surprise you to hear that Kärcher, which makes a zillion different pressure washers, believes they’re perfectly suitable for cleaning a bike… as long as you follow certain rules.

“When cleaning a bicycle with a pressure washer, it is important to maintain a distance of at least 30cm from sensitive components,” says Kärcher. “Any closer and the strong jet of water could push seals, allowing water to enter and flushing out the lubricating grease.

“Worst case scenario, moisture may get trapped, which could result in long-term damage due to rust. However, if you keep to this distance and reduce the pressure on the device to pressure range 1 or ‘soft’, you can clean the bike safely with the pressure washer.”

In other words, Kärcher is alerting you to the same dangers mentioned by the bike and component brands we spoke to (above). The difference is that Kärcher says you can avoid these issues by sticking to a low setting and keeping your distance, whereas some of the bike/component brands are more comfortable advising you to avoid pressure washers altogether.

Are bike-specific pressure washers the answer?

It was the recent launch of Muc-Off’s portable pressure washer that prompted us to revisit this whole subject. Essentially, this is a standalone battery-powered version of the bike-specific pressure washer that Muc-Off launched back in 2019. 

What makes Muc-Off’s pressure washers bike-specific? When he reviewed the original plug-in version here on road.cc, Dave Atkinson said, “As well as a full pressure lance, you get two others. One’s designed for bicycles, running at a much lower pressure so it won't squeeze water through your bearing seals. The other one is a motorbike one, which runs at a pressure in between the other two; it's a bit more aggressive, but still okay on well-sealed motorbike bearings. And probably higher quality bicycle bearings too, if you take care.”

Muc-Off offers a whole load of different bundles, but we’re not here to sell you any of them. Buy what you want, or keep your money in your pocket. We thought it would be interesting to get Muc-Off’s angle, though, so we spoke to its head of product development Andrew Syme.

“Pressure washers offer significant benefits when cleaning bikes,” says Andrew. “Ours is super-easy to use and massively reduces the physical effort involved with cleaning your bike. On top of that, pressure washers save time and deliver a highly effective deep clean. They also increase efficiency, allowing for the cleaning of multiple bikes at once, and they can minimise micro-scratching on the paintwork, which can occur over time with some hand-cleaning options.”

Naturally, Muc-Off is keen to highlight the advantages of its own products. You wouldn’t expect anything else, would you?

“It is crucial to avoid using pressure washers not designed specifically for bikes,” says Andrew. “General-purpose lances from home or garden pressure washers will likely produce too high a pressure and can damage paintwork, bearings, or suspension components. Using the correct equipment like our Bicycle Pressure Washer or new Mobile Pressure Washer which has the pressure perfectly dialled, is essential to prevent damage.

“For safe and effective cleaning, we recommend using our bike-specific lance to avoid damaging anything. Using our snow foam lance is also recommended as it coats the bike in dirt-destroying Snow Foam which breaks down the majority of the dirt at a molecular level, which makes the whole process much quicker and easier.”

Subtle plug. You barely noticed it, right? As we said, it’s unsurprising that Muc-Off wants to bang its own drum. Muc-Off reckons that the optimal power for a bicycle pressure washer is around 300PSI [20.7 bar]. This is the level its bicycle lance is set to, the pressure reduced by widening the fan of the spray.

Hunt’s Dan Clark says, “Muc Off isn’t the only brand to produce ‘bike safe' jet washers. It’s worth noting that other brands like Worx offer similar products. One key difference is that these 'bike safe' washers typically use lower pressures, reducing the risk of damage to delicate bike parts.”

Can I clean an e-bike with a pressure washer?

What’s the deal with pressure washers and electric bikes, or even non-e-bikes with electric components like Shimano Di2, for example?

Kärcher says, “Special care applies to e-bikes: the electronics are sensitive to water and should not be cleaned directly with a pressure washer. It is better to wipe the battery component with a damp cloth or a soft brush.

“When cleaning with high pressure, only clean with a low setting and ensure sufficient distance to tyres, chain, bearings and small parts (approximately 30cm).”

Bosch recommends using a damp cloth for cleaning its batteries specifically. It says that to be safe, the battery should also be removed before cleaning, and must never be cleaned with a direct jet of water or high-pressure hose. E-bike brand Estarli also has some clear advice.

“Our consensus around jet washing and jet washers is to avoid them, the biggest concern being breaching a seal with the high pressure,” says Estarli’s Alex Francis. 

“If you manage to get moisture in through one of the electrical seals it's not good. Worst case, it could cause immediate damage to the circuits, or something more subtle might be corrosion to contacts that over time could cause you reliability issues. That’s not to mention the risk of possible future moisture damage if your jet wash has damaged a seal. 

“For perspective, IP68 – which is a common rating that most of your key exposed electrical components like motors will conform to – has been tested in water that in pressure terms is around 0.1-0.2 bars. Pressure washers can typically be 100-200 bars, way beyond that of a typical IP rating.

“Our advice is warm soapy water and a cloth, avoid contaminating brakes, and clean your bike regularly,” Francis concludes. 

In conclusion, whatever way you decide to clean your bike, being gentle and paying attention to where you're spraying cleaning products and water are the key takeaways here. Let us know in the comments below what you think. Is it ok to pressure wash your bike?