Okay, let's talk about that pressure washer.

Getting Fed Up

Seriously, the back patio was looking grim. Moss, dirt, who knows what else. Same for the driveway. Just looked tired, you know? I kept putting it off, but finally, I just had enough. Decided it was time to drag out the pressure washer and actually use the thing.

Prep Work

First thing, had to get the machine out of the shed. Heavier than I remembered. Rolled it out onto the lawn. Then, the usual routine:

• Checked the oil, looked okay.
• Filled it up with gas. Spilled a little, naturally.
• Hooked up the garden hose to the inlet. Made sure it was tight.
• Plugged in the pressure hose to the outlet.
• Picked a nozzle. Started with a wider spray one, figured I'd play it safe. Didn't want to etch the concrete right away.
• Turned the water supply on. Let the water run through the machine for a bit, get the air out, like the instructions always say.

Oh, and I moved the car out of the driveway and cleared off the patio furniture. Didn't want to blast grime all over everything else.

Making Some Noise

Alright, time to fire it up. Pulled the cord a couple of times. Roared to life. Loud! Forgot how noisy these things are. Grabbed the wand, squeezed the trigger. Whoa, that kickback. You gotta hold on tight.

Started on a corner of the driveway. Just swept back and forth, slow and steady. You could see the clean concrete appearing right away. Pretty satisfying, honestly. Just watching years of dirt peel away. Got into a rhythm. Sweep, step, sweep, step. Made sure to overlap each pass a bit so I didn't leave weird stripes.

Did the whole driveway first. Took a while. Got splashed quite a bit. Feet were soaked pretty quick. Note to self: wear boots next time, not old sneakers.

Tackling the Patio

Moved onto the patio stones. They were worse, greener. Had to hold the nozzle a bit closer here. Still used the wider nozzle, didn't want to loosen the grout or anything. It took more passes, but the green stuff eventually blasted off. Had to be careful around the edges near the grass, didn't want to just blast mud everywhere. Some stubborn spots needed a bit more focus, holding the spray on them for a second or two longer.

Man, it makes a difference. The stones looked almost new. Brighter, cleaner. Totally changed the look of the backyard space.

Wrapping Up

Once I was done washing, turned the machine off. Then, squeezed the trigger on the wand to release the pressure. Important step. Turned off the water supply. Disconnected the garden hose. Disconnected the pressure hose.

Let the machine cool down for a bit before trying to put it away. Drained the hoses best I could. Coiled them up. Rolled the machine back towards the shed. Still heavy.

The cleanup wasn't too bad, mostly just rinsing off the driveway again with the regular hose to get rid of the loose dirt I'd blasted off. Let everything dry out.

Was it Worth It?

Yeah, absolutely. Bit of a workout, bit noisy, got pretty wet. But looking at the clean driveway and patio? Big improvement. Makes the whole place look better. Glad I finally got around to doing it.