Alright, so I finally got my hands on one of those Karcher pressure washers. Been meaning to get one for ages, the patio was looking seriously grubby, you know? Moss, dirt, the usual stuff that builds up over winter.

Getting Started

Unboxing it was straightforward. Not too much plastic rubbish, which was good. Put the handle on, clipped in the holder for the spray gun. Felt pretty solid, actually. Didn't feel cheap or flimsy.

Hooking it up was the next step. Connected my garden hose to the inlet – just a standard click connector, easy peasy. Plugged the power cord in. Then attached the high-pressure hose to the machine and the gun. Again, simple click and twist fittings. No tools needed, which I appreciated. Didn't have to go digging in the shed.

The Main Event: Cleaning Time

Okay, moment of truth. Switched it on. It hummed to life, not crazy loud but you know it’s running. I decided to tackle the worst bit of the patio first, the bit under the big plant pot that never sees the sun.

I started with the gentler nozzle setting – didn't want to blast the pointing out straight away. Pulled the trigger and whoosh! Water came flying out. Even on the lower setting, it was pretty strong. You definitely need to hold on tight with both hands.

Moved onto the really dirty paving slabs. Cranked the nozzle up to a stronger setting. Wow. The difference was instant. You could see the clean stone appear right under the spray. It cut through the green slime and black spots like nothing. It was actually really satisfying to watch the dirt just melt away. Spent a good hour just working my way across the patio, stripe by stripe.

Some things I noticed:

• You get wet. Like, properly splashed. Wear old clothes and boots, for sure.
• Managing the hoses and power cord takes a bit of practice so you don't trip over them.
• It uses a fair bit of water, obviously, but it felt way quicker and more effective than just scrubbing with a brush.

After the patio, I still had some energy, so I gave the garden path a quick once-over too. Same result – looked much better afterwards. Didn't try it on the car yet, need to make sure I use the right low-pressure setting for that.

End Result

So yeah, the Karcher did the job. The patio looks loads better, almost like new in places. It took a bit of effort, mostly just standing and pointing the lance, but the machine did all the hard work of actually shifting the grime. It wasn't complicated to set up or use, which is a big plus for me.

Happy with it so far. It feels like a sturdy bit of kit that’ll hopefully last. Definitely made a tedious job much quicker and, dare I say it, a little bit fun.