Okay, so let me tell you about getting this Karcher pressure washer thing sorted. My patio, seriously, it was looking grim. Green slime, dirt caked on from who knows when. And the driveway wasn't much better. I kept looking at it, thinking I gotta do something.

Deciding and Getting the Machine

I'd seen those yellow Karcher machines around, you know? People using them, ads maybe. Seemed like the go-to brand, so I didn't think too hard about it. Just went and got one. Picked a model that looked like it could handle the job, not the biggest one, not the smallest either. Brought the box home, felt kinda determined.

Unboxing and First Look

Getting it out of the box was the first step. Lots of bits and pieces. The main unit, the hose, the spray gun thing, a couple of different nozzle heads. Instructions were mostly pictures. I'm okay with pictures, usually better than badly translated words. Clipped the handle on, attached the hose holder. Took maybe 15 minutes, fiddling around. Nothing too tricky, just had to make sure things clicked in right.

Hooking It Up and Firing It Up

Next, dragged it outside. Connected my garden hose to the back of the washer. Then plugged the power cord in. Felt a bit like preparing for battle against the grime. Screwed the high-pressure hose onto the machine and the spray gun. Picked a nozzle – went for the more powerful looking one first, the dirt blaster thingy they call it.

Turned the water tap on. Then switched the machine on. It hummed to life, bit of a kick. Okay, moment of truth.

The Actual Cleaning Part

Pointed the nozzle at the worst part of the patio. Pulled the trigger. Whoosh! Man, the difference was instant. A clean strip appeared right where the water jet hit. It was actually pretty amazing to watch the dirt just lift off and wash away. That green slime? Gone. Caked-on mud? Blasted away.

• Did the whole patio first. Took a while, moving methodically, strip by strip. Kinda satisfying, like mowing a lawn but with water.
• Had to be careful near the edges, didn't want to blast dirt all over the walls.
• Moved onto the driveway. Same story. Oil stains were tougher, didn't get them completely out, but it faded them a lot.
• Tried the car next, but switched to the flatter, gentler nozzle. Definitely wouldn't use the dirt blaster on paintwork! It worked fine for getting road grime off before washing properly.
• Even did the garden furniture, the plastic chairs came up looking almost new.

Some Thoughts During Use

It's not quiet, let's be honest. Makes a fair bit of noise when you pull the trigger. But you're outside, so it's not too bad. You definitely know it's running.

Moving it around was okay. It's got wheels, which helps. The power cord and the high-pressure hose can get tangled a bit if you're not careful, constantly managing cables and hoses is part of the job.

Water usage? Hard to say precisely, but you're obviously using more than just a regular hosepipe. Seemed reasonable for the job it was doing though.

Wrapping Up the Job

Once done, switched it off, turned off the tap. Squeezed the trigger to release the pressure, then disconnected everything. Wiped the machine down a bit, coiled up the hoses and cord. Put it away in the shed. The patio looked fantastic, honestly. Like night and day. Driveway much improved too.

So yeah, the Karcher pressure washer. It did the job I bought it for. No fuss, really. Point, shoot, clean. Made a tough job much, much easier. Pretty happy with how it turned out.