The answer is: it’s up to you. Generally, you absolutely can. But there’s a big if. If you own a nozzle which has been marketed to say that it’s suitable to use for watering plants and washing cars.
If you don’t trust the advertisement or you feel somewhat hesitant, read on to learn and be sure.
Using Water
Both of these activities need water, traditionally, you can use a bucket of water to water your plant and wash your cars, you don’t actually need a specific nozzle. But we’re talking about the ideal application.
Using high pressure water for your flower bed can damage your flower, and using a high pressure hose and nozzle can also damage your car. That’s why you need to learn about water pressure and nozzle types to be safe.
Water Measurements
There are a couple of terms you need to know before we get started.
PSI: is a shorter term for pounds per square inch. This is the unit used to measure water pressure. A higher PSI means that the water is released with more force.
GPM: is short for gallon per minute. This is to measure how much water is used up.
PSI * GPM → Cleaning Units
Cleaning Units: is the combination of force between the two water measurements
Below you can find the ideal measurement for both activities. Keep in mind that this is a recommendation, you should still try it out and see what works for you. It’s safe to experiment as long as you stay within the range we listed below.
Ideal For Cars
1200 PSI – 2200 PSI
1.4 GPM – 1.6 GPM
Ideally it would calculate as follow:
1500 PSI x 1.5 GPM = 2250 Cleaning Units
Ideal For Watering Plants
40 PSI – 80 PSI
2.5 GPM – 17 GPM
Ideally it would calculate as follow:
40 PSI x 7 GPM = 280 Cleaning Units
Nozzle Types
- Pistol Grip
- Traditional Nozzle
- Watering Wand
- Dial or Turret
- Fireman
- Fan
- Soaker or Bubbler
- Jet
- Mist
- Cone
There are many nozzle types for plants. You can very easily find a nozzle with multiple water outputs. The dial or turret nozzle offers a selection of water output, but even the traditional nozzle can be adjusted to get the water pressure you want.
Pressure Nozzle Types
Pressure nozzles are easily identified through their colors.
The less the degree, the higher the water pressure. Red and yellow are not safe for your car. Those are used to clean pavements, bricks, and solid metal.
The green nozzle is safe to use to clean debris off the harder parts of your car like steel wheels or truck beds, but it can still damage your car paint.
The white nozzle is recommended for pressure washing your cars, for cleaning your car’s body and rinsing after detergent and cleaners.
The black nozzle can be used to apply the soap onto your car.
Answering The Question
Nozzles for watering plants do not heavily consider water pressure because plants need to avoid a high water pressure. Using plant nozzles for your car is extremely safe but may not be effective especially if you’re looking to pressure wash your car.
So now you have all the information you need. Whether you decided to get an extra nozzle for your car or use the one you already have for your plants, remember to use water responsibly.
Learn more about garden hose nozzles.