Alright, let me tell you about my weekend wrestling match with the pressure washer. The back patio was looking seriously sad, you know? Green stuff growing in the cracks, dirt everywhere. It just had to be done.

Getting Set Up

First things first, I dragged the pressure washer out from the garage. Thing's heavier than it looks. Then, gotta hook everything up. Connected the garden hose to the inlet – made sure it was tight, didn't want water spraying everywhere later. Plugged the power cord in, used an outdoor extension cord, gotta be safe with water and electricity, right?

Then I picked the nozzle. My machine came with a few. I started with one that looked kinda medium, not the super-thin pinpoint one – heard those can damage stuff if you're not careful. Snapped it onto the end of the wand.

Before firing it up, I cleared the patio. Moved the chairs, the grill, the kid's toys. Gave it a quick sweep too, just to get the loose leaves and junk out of the way. Put on some old boots and safety glasses – didn't fancy getting grime blasted into my eyes.

Doing the Actual Washing

Okay, time to go. Turned on the water tap fully. Then I switched the machine on. It hums to life, kinda loud. Squeezed the trigger on the wand, and whoosh! Water blasted out. First, I sprayed down a section just to get it wet. Then I went back over it, holding the nozzle maybe a foot away from the concrete.

You gotta keep it moving. Don't just blast one spot for too long. I worked in sections, overlapping my passes a bit, like mowing a lawn. It's pretty satisfying seeing the dirt just peel away. You can see the clean concrete underneath immediately.

• Started from the highest point and worked down.
• Kept a steady distance between the nozzle and the surface.
• Overlapped each stroke slightly.

Some spots were tougher, especially where that green algae stuff was thick. Had to go over those areas a couple of times, maybe getting a little closer with the nozzle, but carefully. Saw a satisfying amount of muck washing away towards the drain.

Wrapping It Up

Took a while, maybe an hour or so for the whole patio. Once I was done blasting, I gave the whole area a final rinse with the pressure washer, just holding the wand further away to wash down all the loose dirt that got kicked up. Then, turned the machine off, turned the water tap off. Squeezed the trigger one last time to release the pressure left in the hose – important step, that.

Disconnected everything. Wiped down the machine a bit before rolling it back to the garage. The patio looked worlds better. Not brand new, maybe, but clean. Really clean. Felt good to get it done myself.

Honestly, it's a bit of work, requires some patience moving back and forth, but seeing the difference makes it worth it. Just gotta respect the power of the water jet.