i do a lot of side jobs so i go through a lot of repair work. sometimes the convenience and the effectiveness of brake cleaner is hard to beat. like for locating the source of a trans or engine leak by cleaning the area off first. Or to blast off the crude from attached brake parts after wire brushing them. On the other hand i use soapy water sponge on new brake discs to remove the factory applied anti corrosion oil since, it's effective, cheaper and less vapors to breath. I live in a relatively coastal area so runoff into the the ocean concerns me. All my chemical spraying runoff is captured and periodically carried to a recyling location, that includes coolant too , which I store seperately for recycle/disposal.

You mentioned a pressure washer, would that be a water one? If so my problem with that is the amount of polluted runoff I'd generate and the wet messy surface and surroundings that remain with water. If you mean pressurizing your own brake cleaner type chemical I'd like to learn more. But at $1/can it's hard to beat the convenience

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1972 450SL
1982 300D Turbo