Stress is a naturally occurring part of the human experience, and the fine folks over at FuturLab (and publishers Square Enix) recognized that reality. That's why they made PowerWash Simulator, a meditative cleaning game where the Zen of your own headspace is the only score you’ll need to consider.
Despite that, sometimes the hardest part of any new project is starting it - and that van in the first challenge of Career Mode is awfully dirty! PowerWash Simulator is about eliminating that fear. With your basic pressure washer, a calm mind, and this assortment of tips and tricks, you'll find your flow state in no time.
10 It's All About The Details
When faced with more complex projects, it can get tough to keep track of what you have and haven't cleaned just by sight alone. PowerWash Simulator has a way to compartmentalize each objective in the "details" tab, which is found within the main menu.
Once here, each cleanable part of an object is listed individually, with a corresponding percentage next to it. Using the "details" tab will you identify exactly where that missing dirt is hiding during your job, and which part it’s attached to.
9
Don't Just Use Your Eyeballs, Use The Highlighter
Just like the grime of real life, dirt in PowerWash Simulator can get anywhere and everywhere. It might be under the bumper or behind a wheel, far from your field of vision. In instances like these, the "Details" tab might get you to the right object part, but you'll need to use the "Show Dirt" key to spot it.
The "Show Dirt" key is bound to tab by default. This will highlight dirt and grime in bright, pulsing yellow. Do keep in mind though that this means if dirt is on a bright yellow object, the shift in color may be subtle at best.
8 Positioning Is Everything
There is a key dedicated to switching your stance between standing, crouching, and prone. As you progress through the levels, you'll find dirt in some difficult-to-reach places so don't be afraid to adjust your position to reach them. This is particularly useful to get under or around objects.
Likewise, a project may require you to clean the top of a large structure. You may need to do a bit of platforming and jump and climb until you can aim downwards at the object. Check your surroundings for climbable objects, such as ladders or stools.
7 Save up for Power Washers, not Soap
Power washers are important because they give you, well... more power! But soap, and particularly the soap nozzle, is less necessary than you'd think. Most grime in the game can be blasted away without soap, and the soap nozzle's primary benefits (namely its particular combination of a semi-wide radius and power) are outweighed by how costly buying soap for it becomes.
If you want to maximize profit, it's better to simply save up your early game money for the strongest power washer and its accessories, which, at the time of this writing, is the Prime Vista PRO. The Prime Vista 3000 is also a great investment, but anything weaker is generally a waste of money and time.
6 Don't Forget to Rotate The Nozzle
The "R" key, in addition to refilling your cleaning liquid, is also used to rotate your nozzle. This gives you more fine control over your aim and, when combined with the new "aim mode" discussed further down in this list, gives you all the tools necessary to blast away grime anywhere on the map.
This ability was frequently overlooked by new players in early versions of the game, perhaps most notably by internet personality Markiplier. Developers Futurlab poked fun at the content creator over this, making reference to his series in patch notes that indicated the rotate command would now be made clear in a tutorial pop-up for new players.
5 Use Aim Mode For Precision
In May's 0.9 patch, the "Aim Mode" feature was added to the game. This quality of life addition makes it to where you can stand in place and move the Power Washer while shooting - a huge boon for precision. When you're aiming, the nozzle itself can also be rotated.
For those with motion sickness, Aim Mode is a godsend. It gives wide, precise control without having to constantly look around. And even if you don't have motion sickness, you might find the nimble movements of Aim mode preferable in the long run.
4 Pick The Right Nozzle For The Job
It might seem a little overwhelming when you first encounter the variety of nozzles at your disposal. However, once you understand their individual strengths and weaknesses, you can quickly choose the right tool for each task. The truth is, most of the grime in the game, particularly in the early levels, can be blasted away with only the green and yellow nozzles.
With these two nozzles alone, you can handle nearly every type of dirt. The red nozzle has niche use for removing particularly difficult stains such as bird droppings. Even then, most of your problems, in terms of power, can simply be solved by getting closer to the stain with a yellow nozzle.
3 Extensions Help, But You Don't Need All Of Them
There's an unfortunate redundancy between the three extension sizes offered in PowerWash simulator. You can do large swathes of the early game without any extension at all. When you do finally need one, for example, at the Mayor's Mansion, conservative play will make the purchase of the necessary extra-long extension a no-brainer.
This is another reason why we recommended the avoidance of things like the Power Washers, as they may make you unable to afford required purchases when you need them the most further down the line.
2 Maximize Your Money In The Early Levels
If the lessons of the above entries didn't make this clear, let's underline the point here: you can wash away most of your early tasks without spending loads of your in-game currency.
You won't always need to spend on an extension, and once you have one of the heavy-duty washers, you'll find your yellow nozzle blasts away the majority of grime you'll encounter even late into the game. This is especially true if you're able to get close to the object you're trying to clean, as the closer you are to the grime, the more powerful your spray will be.
1 It Isn't A Race
PowerWash Simulator isn't a game about high scores or survival, and spray-and-pray has a very different meaning when the gun in your hand shoots water. The most important tip, above all else, is to just recognize that this game is closer to maintaining a sand garden than playing a cover shooter.
If you sit back, relax, and let the game wash over you, you'll get the most out of PowerWash Simulator's clean, wholesome fun.