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At first glance, PowerWash Simulator might seem like just another chore-turned-video game. And while, yes, that is precisely what it is, it's also more than that. It tells a story. It builds lore. It gets weird. A perfect example of this are the many garden gnomes found throughout the game.
These cone-hatted micro-men are always watching you. They’re on every stage, watching you perform every task. If you think you're ever alone while spraying the grime from an old driveway, you’d be wrong. On every level, hiding somewhere is a gnome. The only question is, ‘where?’
Updated on March 3, 2023, By Branden Lizardi: PowerWash Simulator has cleaned its way not just into our hearts, but into other franchises! Since it's initial launch, the game has recieved two DLC updates. The first adds new jobs for locations and vehicles from the Tomb Raider series. The second update introduces various levels from the Final Fantasy 7 Remake. And as you might expect, these new levels come with more gnomes hiding around every corner. We've updated this guide to include all the new gnomes, or lack thereof.
Building Level Gnome Locations
From garage doors to rain gutters, houses are the quintessential power washing jobs. And with a ‘dormant’ volcano not far from the game’s town of Muckingham, there’s plenty of work to do on the local buildings. It almost makes it easy to forget about the nearby gnomes.
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Gnome Location |
Notes |
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The Back Garden: On the neighbor’s property, standing on a fence. |
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The Bungalow: Behind the tree to the left of the driveway. |
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The Detached House: In another yard to the left of the backyard, on a fence. |
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The Shoe House: Two are in the yard, and two more are hiding in the background. |
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The Fire Station: Peering from the roof of the food market across the street. |
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The Forest Cottage: In the bushes behind the van. |
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The Mayor’s Mansion: Hiding behind the brickwork of the fence on the far right side. |
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The Tree House: Laying on top of the tarp hanging over the dining level. |
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The Temple: A special monk variant is standing on the top of the building. |
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The Lost City Palace: A special royal variant stands at the entrance. |
Vehicle Level Gnome Locations
There’s nothing wrong with getting a little mud on your tires. But who’s going to clean it afterward? It’ll be you, of course. It certainly won’t be the gnome hiding around the corner, watching you do all the work.
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Gnome Location |
Notes |
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The Van: On the workbench in the back of the garage. |
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The Vintage Car: Behind the tree in the front yard. |
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Grandpa Miller’s Car: Peering from behind a fence in the front yard of a property down the street. |
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The Fire Truck: Between the bushes and the fence to the right. |
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The Dirt Bike: Hiding inside the upturned wheelbarrow near the front of the garage. |
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The Golf Cart: By the door leading inside. |
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The Motorbike and Sidecar: Watching from the garage door window. |
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The SUV: Just standing there. |
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The Penny Farthing: Watching from outside, through the side wall window. |
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The Recreation Vehicle: Behind the car across the street. |
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The Fire Helicopter: In the bushes in the back corner. |
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The Drill: On the shelf. |
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The Private Jet: Watching from the window on the ceiling. |
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The Frolic Boat: Five different gnomes are watching from the trees in the clearing across the street. |
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The Monster Truck: On top of a locker. |
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The Stunt Plane: On top of the air traffic control building nearby. |
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Fishing Boat: One in a decorative planter along the public sidewalk. Another is in front of a house down the street to the back left corner of the map. |
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The RV Again: On a rock in the distance, behind the van. |
Where To Find The Gnomes Hiding Everywhere Else
The truth is that just about anything could benefit from a good power washing, not just buildings or vehicles. Carnival rides, parks, and playgrounds could all use a good cleaning. They’re not free from the watchful eyes of your gnome friends, either.
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Gnome Location |
Notes |
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The Playground: Behind a tree, in the direction of the picnic tables. |
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The Skatepark: Behind the white van that the cat is sleeping on. |
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The Carousel: Two clown gnomes are watching from a nearby crate. |
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The Washroom: Inside a toilet vandalized to look like a monster. |
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The Helter Skelter: On top of the carousel. |
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The Ferris Wheel: At the top of the line for the Helter Skelter. |
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Subway Platform: Above the ground in the left-side tunnel by the stairs leading outside. |
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Fortune Teller’s Wagon: Riding the Ferris Wheel. |
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Ancient Statue: On the tip of a rock outcropping in the distance. |
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Ancient Monument: Hiding behind a rock in the distance, near the van. |
Special Job Gnome Locations
It’s not terribly clear why these jobs are separated from the career and free-play categories within PowerWash Simulator, but they are. Special levels limit the tools you can use. So perhaps it's to control how challenging the task is. Regardless, they still have gnomes, so they still get listed.
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Gnome Locations |
Notes |
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Mars Rover: An alien variant is standing by the Mystery Hatch. |
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Mini Golf Course: Blocking the path of the final hole. |
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Steam Locomotive: Peering out from behind the door to the souvenir shop. |
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Gnome Fountain: On top of a food cart umbrella in the distance. |
The Tomb Raider Gnome Locations
The first DLC for Powerwash Simulator, and a crossover one at that. These extra levels are all based on the Tomb Raider franchise.
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Gnome Locations |
Notes |
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Croft Manor: In the back right corner, a marble gnome is hiding on top of the wall. |
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Obstacle Course And Quad Bike: On the corner of the building, on the second level, a gnome is peeking between the brick railing of the upper level. |
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Jeep And Motorboat: A gnome is posing at the top of the manor's entry archway, blending in. |
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Hedge Maze: At the center of the maze. |
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Treasure Room: Interact with the globe to open it, revealing a gnome. |
The Final Fantasy Midgar Gnome Locations
The second DLC and cross-over job pack places a number of Midgar items and locations into the PowerWash universe. The jobs are all based on the Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
Unfortunately, None of these levels appear to contain a gnome. It's not certain if this was simply overlooked, if they intend to add them later, or if this was a condition from publisher Square Enix for the collaboration. Either way, there are no gnomes to find on any of the levels.