Okay, so the sidewalk out front was looking pretty rough. Really grimy, bits of moss, just generally sad looking. Decided it was time to break out the pressure washer.

Getting Started

First thing, dragged the pressure washer out from the shed. Connected the garden hose to the inlet, made sure it was tight. Then hooked up the high-pressure hose to the outlet and the spray gun. Picked the surface cleaner attachment – you know, that big round thing that looks like a floor buffer? Seemed like the right tool for a big flat area like the sidewalk.

Cleared the sidewalk first. Swept off loose leaves and pebbles. Didn't want that stuff flying around. Put on some old boots too, figured I'd get wet.

The Actual Washing

Turned on the water tap fully. Squeezed the trigger on the gun to get the air out of the hose. Then, started the pressure washer engine. Took a couple of pulls, but it roared to life. Pretty loud, but that's expected.

Placed the surface cleaner attachment flat on the concrete at one end of the sidewalk. Started walking slowly, pushing it forward. Like mowing a lawn, basically. Went back and forth in overlapping paths. It's way faster than just using the narrow nozzle.

It worked pretty well.

• Lifted most of the surface dirt easily.
• You could see a clean path forming right away.
• Kept the overspray mostly contained under the hood, which was nice.

Some spots were tougher. Had a few patches of really ground-in dirt or maybe some old stains. For those, I disconnected the surface cleaner and switched to a regular nozzle on the spray gun – not the pinpoint one, more like a 25-degree fan spray. Got a bit closer to those stubborn areas and blasted them directly. Took a bit more effort, but they came clean eventually.

Finishing Up

Once the whole sidewalk was done, I gave it a final rinse using the pressure washer gun with a wider nozzle (like the 40-degree one) just to wash away any loosened grit and make sure the surface was uniform. Turned off the engine, then turned off the water tap. Squeezed the trigger again to release the pressure left in the hose.

Disconnected everything. Drained the hoses. Wiped down the machine a bit before putting it back in the shed. The sidewalk? Looked a hundred times better. Still wet, but you could see the clean concrete underneath. Definitely worth the couple of hours it took.