Getting Started with the Kärcher Washer

Okay, so I finally got my hands on one of those Kärcher pressure washers. Heard a lot about them, figured I'd give it a go myself. The box arrived, pretty standard stuff. Pulled everything out, laid it on the driveway. Lots of yellow plastic bits and pieces, the main unit, the hose, the spray gun thingy, and a couple of nozzles.

First thing, gotta hook it up. Found the instructions, mostly pictures, which is good 'cause who reads manuals anyway? Connected the garden hose to the back of the machine. Simple enough, just screwed it on tight. Then plugged the power cord into the outdoor socket. Made sure the socket was one of those safety ones, you know, for water and electricity.

Figuring Out the Bits and Bobs

Next up was the high-pressure hose. One end snapped onto the machine, the other clicked into the trigger gun handle. Seemed straightforward. Then came the nozzles, or 'lances' as they call them. Had two main ones: one looked like it gave a really strong, thin jet, the other spread the water out more like a fan. I decided to start with the fan one, seemed less likely to accidentally strip paint off something.

• Attached the fan spray lance to the gun.
• Turned on the water tap fully.
• Switched the machine on. It made a humming noise.

Putting It to the Test

Right, time to clean something. The patio slabs were looking pretty green and grim after winter. Stood back a bit, aimed the gun down, and squeezed the trigger. Whoosh! The water came out with some real force, way more than the garden hose. Started moving the spray lance back and forth across the slabs.

Man, the difference was instant. You could see the clean stone appear right through the grime. It was actually pretty satisfying watching the dirt just lift off and wash away. Did find I had to keep a consistent distance, too close and it felt like it might etch the stone, too far and it wasn't cleaning as well. Took a bit of practice to get the sweep right.

Moved onto the car next. Swapped to the wider fan nozzle, definitely didn't want to use the strong jet one here. Soaked the car first, then used the washer to rinse off the main layer of dirt before getting the bucket and sponge out. It did a decent job of getting the worst off, especially the wheel arches. Made the hand wash afterwards much easier.

Some Thoughts and Wrapping Up

It's loud. Not deafening, but definitely makes a racket when you pull the trigger. The hose can be a bit annoying, always feels like it wants to twist or get caught around your feet or the machine itself. Also, you get wet. Maybe sounds obvious, but the spray can bounce back, especially when cleaning corners or vertical surfaces. Wear clothes you don’t mind getting mucky.

Finished up by cleaning the machine itself, wiped it down. Disconnected the hoses, drained the water out best I could by holding the trigger after turning it off. Coiled up the hoses and power cord. It doesn't pack away super small, gotta find a corner in the shed for it. Overall, yeah, it does the job. Cleans way faster and better than just scrubbing or using a normal hose. Bit of a faff to set up and pack away each time, but worth it for the big cleaning jobs.