Is the TikTok Hack of Pressure Washing Showers Brilliant or Dangerous?

Shower tiles are magnets for messes, whether it’s mold in the grout lines or mineral deposits that turn tiles a sickly whitish gray. And that’s not even counting accumulated soap and shampoo deposits.

Cleaning a grimy shower often calls for special cleaning tools. But a pressure washer? That’s the idea @amberzimm promotes on TikTok:

@amberzimm I’m far from your go-to cleaning or organizing girl, so if I’m sharing it, know it’s legit & going to make your life easier. You NEED a cordless pressure washer. Make sure you get one with enough pressure-Linked mine in my LTK. The best time saving cleaning hack. I was starting to regret white tile & grout, but design choice is good now that I use this cleaning method. #cleantok #cleaninghack #tileshower #hack #cleaningtiktok #timesaver #gamechanger #momhack #homedesign ♬ original sound – Amber

When I ran this by Art Dann, a general contractor who knows his way around tile (and happens to be a former employer), his reaction was: “I want to try that in the bathroom at home!”

Then I double-checked with two professional cleaners. Matthew Morris, founder of Go Cleaners London, was equally bullish on the idea. But Toby Schultz, founder and CEO of Maid2Match, hesitated. “Pressure wash at your own risk,” he says.

Warning noted. It sounds like this idea might be a winner, with important caveats.

How It Works

It isn’t complicated. The high-pressure stream of water removes soap scum from tile, lifts mold from grout and erases hard water stains. For a water source, you can pass a garden hose through the bathroom window, or connect to the sink faucet by replacing the aerator with a hose adapter.

If you’ve used a pressure washer outdoors, you know the importance of keeping a safe distance from the surface you’re washing to prevent damage. But you also need to be close enough to get the stains out. So there may be a learning curve until you find the right distance. Once you’re there, use overlapping strokes to clean the shower walls and floor.

Is It Safe to Bring a Pressure Washer in a Home?

Never use a gas-powered pressure washer in the shower. Besides the obvious safety concerns with exhaust fumes, gas-powered units generate pressures of 2,800 pounds per square inch (psi). That’s too powerful for what you want to do.

The unit seen in the TikTok video is cordless, and cordless models generate relatively low pressure — around 600 psi. That should be safe for all parts of the shower, including the faucet and shower head.

If you need more cleaning power, you could try a corded model that generates no more than about 1,700 psi. That should be safe for the shower walls and floor. However, it could damage the faucet or shower head, so don’t spray them directly.

Also, keep in mind it won’t be easy to control over-spray, so put away anything you don’t want to get wet. If the bathroom floor is laminate or some other material that can be damaged by moisture, think twice before power washing.

Can a Pressure Washer Damage Your Shower?

Yes. Potential damage to the tiles, and especially the grout, was one of the main concerns of everyone I interviewed. So here’s the No. 1 caveat: Use this cleaning technique only if the tile and grout are in good condition.

“It’s hard to verify whether the tiles are structurally sound enough to withstand the high pressure,” Morris says. Do a thorough inspection of the tiles and grout before you proceed. Dann said he would hesitate to power wash if the grout lines are wider than about half an inch, because wide lines are more likely to chip.

A word about nozzles: The one in the video is green with a spray pattern of 25 degrees. That’s the best one to use. Go with the yellow nozzle (15 degrees) if you’re using a cordless pressure washer and need more cleaning power. But never use the red nozzle (zero degrees) with any pressure washer. Such a concentrated spray will damage the tile and chip the grout.

Two more caveats, per Schultz: “Pressure washing is inadvisable for glazed ceramic or porcelain tiles since it could ruin the finish. You should also not use a pressure washer to clean shower doors as you risk shattering the glass.” This also applies to the shower light fixture.

The Verdict

While this cleaning method does involve some risk, the danger is minimal if you use a cordless pressure washer and your shower tile is in good condition. Under these conditions, pressure washing is a brilliant idea.

The risk factor increases when you go with a corded pressure washer, and crosses the threshold into the danger zone if you use the wrong nozzle or the tile is in poor condition. If your shower has chipped or loose tiles or is missing grout, you’re better off scrubbing by hand.