JetWet portable pressure washer review

The JetWet portable pressure washer could mean the end of dirty car interiors but is it any good?

We’re very much in the grip of Autumn now, and we all have to come to the reality that we will be riding in wet or muddy conditions from now until March-April 2020 (perhaps later ?).

Riding in the wet and mud isn’t actually too bad though. We get to hone our wet weather riding skills, we get to uncover new trails that may have become overgrown in the summer, and we can look forward to cleaning our bikes at the end of a ride again… oh.. wait…

I’d like to think that we’re all now competent at cleaning our bikes. We should all have cleaning equipment, brushes, cleaner, oil, lube and at the very least a hosepipe but ideally a pressure washer.

But what if your ride doesn’t finish at home but instead ends at a carpark? What if you have one of those awkward cars you can’t place a bike rack on? What if you don’t want to coat the interior of your car with Britain’s patented ‘wet dust’?

Take me for example. I have a Fiat Panda 100HP, and because it was designed as a ‘sporty’ car it isn’t compatible with a tow bar. Even if I could fit one my insurance would be void because it wasn’t designed to be used with one. I could still put a roof rack on the car, but I don’t fancy plonking a 50lb ebike up there, so my only option is to place the bike inside, and after a muddy ride that means a muddy interior! Or at least it did.

The JetWet Portable Pressure Washer

JetWet’s portable pressure washer is a true all in one unit. While some brands say that their products are portable, they just mean that they’re easy to move around. The JetWet isn’t just easy to transport about, but it also boasts an internal water bladder, hose, water pump, rechargeable battery and power lead that plugs into the cigarette lighter of your car.

The complete unit lives inside a custom made, heavy-duty bag with shoulder carry strap, external elastic straps and strong zips for the water bladder compartment, and the smaller pocket in the base for the power cable.

Unzipping the main compartment reveals a 9-litre water bladder. Under the bladder is a second zipped compartment where the water pump and 2200mAh rechargeable battery are housed.

The pump and battery live inside a foam container that’s sealed up to keep all the important bits safe, but they are serviceable by JetWet if you were ever in need of a service or repair.

A 2200mAh battery is good for 30minutes of run time which is about 6.5 full bladders of water. So, in theory, you would only need to charge the JetWet once a week if you rode every day for a week. If you did ever forget to charge the battery, then not to worry as the JetWet will run directly off your car battery via the cigarette lighter socket.

Hoses from the bladder to the pump are held in place with zip ties on our unit, but this might change in the future, not that we had an issue with the connections.

Externally, the hose that attaches to the adjustable pressure head and trigger very flexible with a braided material outer. The hose is very easy to pack away in the external pocket. Once the pump is turned on the system pressurises and ensures the hoses can’t be folded on itself to prevent water flow.

The head has a single trigger for engaging the spray and a brass adjustment to change the water flow. According to the JetWet website, the head is delicate enough to be used on your pets or horse as well as your bike. For this review, I stuck to cleaning my bike.

JetWet Portable Pressure Washer in use

With the JetWet’s bladder filled with water and the battery charged, I popped the system in the boot of my car and headed to the Peak District on a very rainy day to take the YT Decoy for a ride.

My main objective for this ride was to get the Decoy as dirty as possible so that I could test how well the JetWet can clean a bike. As it was very very wet, and the rain extremely heavy the Decoy was already pretty clean by the time I got back to the car… But a quick stop at a muddy puddle soon coated it nicely for a JetWet test.

Setting the JetWet up was very easy. I decdied to plug the system in so I could see what it would be like to use if the battery was flat. The length of cable is enough so that the system could easily sit in the boot or out of the passage door with cable to spare.

Once plugged in and switched on the pump pressurises the system so that it’s ready to spray. If left on, the JetWet will ensure pressure is maintained by pulsing on and off, but will automatically turn off to prevent too much pressure building up.

And that’s about it really. Hitting the trigger on the hose lets out a steady stream of water at a surprisingly decent pressure. It’s not Kascher power, but that’s exactly the point, and I had no qualms spraying my hubs, fork seals, motor or battery on the Decoy to get it Panda clean.

Because I had really muddied my bike up, I gave the Decoy to rinses and used a little MucOff too, but I didn’t need the brush, and had I not been messing about trying to shoot photos, I could have easily cleaned the bike with water to spare.

I would say on a wet day a full bladder should be enough to rinse off 2 bikes, while a very muddy ride will probably need closer to a full bladder to get done, with enough left over to give your shoes, riding kit and yourself and quick going over too.

In fact, how cool would it be if a small shower head was available for the jet wet for quick summer refreshes after a ride? Apparently this is already in the works.

JetWet Portable Pressure Washer Conclusion

I might not have a flash car, but that doesn’t mean I want the inside coated in mud and dirt. With the JetWet and a few old sheets, my bikes are clean before I even get home.

If you don’t already have something smililar I would certainly recommend the JetWet. Not only is it perfect for mountain biking, but also great for cleaning boots after walking, getting sand off feet at the beach, or even cleaning hard to reach areas around the house or garden.

A very handy and well-priced system!

Review Info