Bosch's £150 Aquatak pressure washer transformed my grimy patio in time for BBQ season

Many of us need a pressure washer to keep on top of external property cleaning and maintenance tasks. A corded pressure washer, like the Bosch Aquatak 135, is a power tool that connects to your outdoor water tap and plugs into a standard electricity power point. It directs water under high pressure to revitalise dirty pavers and patios and other surfaces such as fences and walls, sheds and outdoor buildings as well as cleaning cars, bikes, bins and gutters. 

I’d tested a couple of the best pressure washers for Ideal Home earlier this year so I was interested to see how the Bosch Aquatak 135 compared to the mighty corded Karcher K4 Premium and the clever cordless Worx 20V Hydroshot. I have a small back garden that has a number of stone patios and walkways, plus wooden sleeper paths  but I also need a multi-functional product that can hose down bins, gutters and patio furniture as well as keep my car spick and span. All of these need regular maintenance. As I’ve mentioned before, I like to buy electrical products that are well-designed, robust and will stand the test of time. 

It was a cool May day when I put the Bosch Aquatak to the test…

 Bosch Aquatak 135 pressure washer product specs

• Power type: 1900w
• Max pressure: 135 bar
• Best for: Outdoor surfaces and car cleaning
• Hose length: 7m
• Power cord length: 5m
• Weight: 7.9 kg

 Who tested this pressure washer? 

Rhoda Parry

 Rhoda Parry is the former Editorial Director of Ideal Home, the UK’s best-known media brand, and its sister titles, 25 Beautiful Homes and Style at Home. She is also former Editorial Director for Gardeningetc, Amateur Gardening and Easy Gardens. As an experienced Interiors and Gardens journalist, she’s spent her career tracking the trends, interviewing the experts and reviewing the best products for inside and outside living spaces.

She tested the Bosch Aquatak 135 pressure washer at her family house in Sussex where she put it through its paces on stone patios, wooden sleeper paths, painted walls and finally turned to cleaning her dusty car.    

Bosch Aquatak 135 pressure washer: Unboxing and delivery 

The Bosch Aquatak 135 arrived in a box 44 (H) x 36 (W) x 36cm (D).  The packaging was made of good quality cardboard, which is widely recycled. It was printed with the name of the product and clearly pictured what was waiting inside. 

In there you'll find the main unit, the high pressure hose, the water filter, the trigger handle, the lance, the trio nozzle (with fan, rotary, and pencil jet settings) and the high pressure detergent nozzle. 

Plus, there's also the pressure washer’s vital statistics, such as power type, maximum pressure, the water flow rate and the fact that it has a three year guarantee. 

Bosch Aquatak 135 pressure washer: First impressions 

On opening the box, all the contents were neatly arranged and held in place by more cardboard. Detailed paper instructions are included and the box illustrates the simple six-step set up.

I laid out all the components before putting the pressure washer together. Unlike the Karcher K4 (which is significantly bigger), I loved the fact that there was no assembly of the main unit.

The high pressure hose inserted easily into the back of the main unit and then into the trigger handle. The water filter attached to the front of the unit. My household hosepipe clicked into the water filter and in turn the household external tap. Then I just plugged into the electricity supply and turned on the mains tap. I attached the lance to the gun handle and three-in-one nozzle with a click. 

Finally, I twisted the main switch dial to ‘On’ on the main unit, released the safety lock and pressed the trigger to release a constant flow of water. It took about 5 minutes to do all this.  

 Bosch Aquatak 135 pressure washer: Performance 

Wooden sleeper pathway

The wood of my oak sleeper was discoloured and slippery after the winter weather and really needed a good clean.

I selected the rotary jet setting on the nozzle to remove the heavy dirt - I could clearly see the black and ingrained debris being removed. I switched to the fine pencil jet setting for particularly stubborn sections along the edges.

Stone patio

Next I moved onto the paved stone patio. Again, the pavers were looking a bit worse for wear with mildewed patches and moss growing in the crevices. I gave it a quick brush to remove pebbles and leaves. Then used the fan setting to clean. This worked very effectively. 

I worked carefully from one paver to the next in order to make sure that I evenly cleaned the whole surface. This was quite time consuming but worth it for seeing the difference. I noticed that you can buy an additional Bosch patio cleaning attachment (similar to the Karcher) to cover a larger area more efficiently and to stop water and debris flying up.

Painted exterior wall

The painted walls close to our garage needed a wash down so I used the same setting to hose them down, including the glass balustrade above. I started at the top and worked downwards; dirty water quickly appeared showing the removal of winter weathering. Paintwork looked as good as new after a 10-minute wash down.

Car

Next I decided to use the high pressure detergent nozzle accessory. I filled it with car cleaning detergent topped up with water (a total of 450ml) and then carefully attached it to the lance. 

Pressing the trigger, the soap quickly covered the paintwork. It was good for getting detergent into the wheel rims. Then I switched back to the trio nozzle to rinse off with the softest setting. Job brilliantly done! 

Final verdict: Is the Bosch Aquatak 135 pressure washer High Pressure Washer worth the money? 

The Bosch Aquatak 135 pressure washer is a well-built and relatively powerful machine with good cleaning effectiveness. It was efficient at removing dirt and grime on any given surface. It's a good mid-range machine and the three pressure settings mean you select the right pressure for the job at hand.

In terms of user friendliness, the push fit connections made it simple to assemble and the large wheels and the extendable handle make it easily maneoevrable. The gun handle is light and simple to use. As with all corded pressure washers, you do need to be careful not to trip over the electrical cable and the hose. I like the way that it is designed to neatly store – the handle pushes down and folds back; both electrical cable and high pressure hose have housing and both the gun handle and the accessories had nicely designed storage on the main unit too.

The RRP is £184.99 (including Bosch high-pressure gun, lance, 3-in-1 nozzle, High pressure detergent nozzle, 450 ml, 7m high-pressure hose, water filter), making it a good-allrounder that’s not going to break the bank. The quality is good and it will get all those seasonal and weekend maintenance jobs done without a fuss.

About this review, and the reviewer 

In line with our guidelines on how we test products that we recommend at Ideal Home, our reviewer Rhoda tested this pressure washer in several different environments in her home before coming to the conclusions in this review.