Okay, let me tell you about my adventure with this high pressure electric power washer I got.

Getting Started - Why I Needed It

So, my patio was looking absolutely grim. You know, years of dirt, moss, general yuckiness. Sweeping just wasn't cutting it anymore. I'd seen those power washer videos online, looked satisfying, right? Decided it was time to give one a try. Went for an electric one because, honestly, dealing with gas engines just felt like too much hassle for cleaning a patio and maybe the car sometimes.

Unboxing and Putting it Together

The box arrived, wasn't too heavy which was a good start. Pulled everything out. Lots of plastic bits, the main unit, the hose, the spray gun thingy, and a couple of different nozzles. The instructions were… well, they had pictures, mostly. Took me maybe 20 minutes to snap everything together. Had to attach the handle, the hose reel (which felt a bit flimsy, but okay), and connect the main pressure hose. Nothing too complicated, thankfully. Just needed to make sure all connections were tight. Didn't want water spraying everywhere but the patio.

The First Test Run

Alright, time for the real deal. Dragged it out to the back patio. Hooked up my garden hose to the inlet. Plugged the power cord in – had to use an outdoor extension cord, made sure it was rated for it. Double-checked everything. Turned on the water supply first, let the water run through the machine and gun for a sec to get the air out, like the instructions mumbled about. Then, nervously, I switched the power button on.

It hummed to life. Not crazy loud, but definitely noticeable. Grabbed the spray gun, pointed it at a particularly nasty patch of green slime on the paving stones, and squeezed the trigger.

Washing Away the Grime

Whoosh! Okay, that was pretty cool. The pressure was decent, definitely enough to blast away the surface dirt instantly. I started with the wider spray nozzle, figured it was safer. Made sweeping motions across the patio slabs. You could see the clean stone appearing right away under the dirt. It was slow going, though. You gotta move systematically, like mowing a lawn, overlapping each pass slightly.

• Found the moss in the joints was tougher. Had to switch to a narrower, more focused nozzle for those bits. That really blasted it out, but you have to be careful not to gouge the stone or the jointing sand too much.
• Did splashback happen? Oh yeah. Wore old clothes and boots, glad I did. Got sprayed with muddy water quite a bit. Eye protection is probably a good idea too, honestly.
• The power cord and the garden hose management was a bit of a dance. Kept having to stop and reposition them so I didn't trip or run them over.

Worked my way across the whole patio. Took a good couple of hours, maybe longer with breaks. My hand holding the trigger got a bit tired, gotta admit. But seeing the difference was seriously motivating.

The Results and Final Thoughts

End result? Patio looks a million times better. Not brand new, some deep stains are still there, but the layers of grime and green stuff are gone. It's back to its original color mostly. Cleaned the garden furniture too, worked great on the plastic chairs.

Overall, pretty happy with the electric washer for homeowner stuff like this. It did the job. It wasn't magically effortless, still took time and some elbow grease (or rather, trigger-finger endurance), and managing the hoses/cords is annoying. But way, way better and faster than scrubbing by hand. For the price and convenience compared to a gas one, I'd say it was a decent buy for cleaning up around the house.