Okay, so I finally got around to tackling the patio grime this weekend. It was looking pretty nasty, honestly. Regular hose just wasn't cutting it anymore.

Getting Started with the Pressure Washer

I dragged out my pressure washer, which I haven't used in ages. Fired it up, okay, good start. But then I looked at the wand and remembered... the nozzle situation. I had this little baggie of colored tips that came with it, never really paid much attention to them before. Just kinda used whichever one was already on there.

This time, the dirt was really baked on, especially in the grout lines between the pavers. The nozzle that was on there, I think it was a wider spray one, was just sort of pushing the surface dirt around. Not really lifting the deep stuff.

Figuring Out the Nozzles

So, I stopped and actually looked at the little plastic nozzles. There was a red one, a yellow one, a green one, and a white one. Maybe a black one too? I vaguely recalled someone saying the colors meant different spray patterns or pressures. Red seemed intense, like a laser beam almost. Yellow was a bit wider, green wider still, and white looked like a gentle fan.

Trial and Error Time! I figured, go big or go home, right? Snapped on the red nozzle. Bad idea. Pointed it at a corner, and man, it nearly blasted the paver itself into dust! Okay, way too strong. It cleaned a tiny spot really well, but also took off a layer of the paver surface. Not good.

Pulled that off quick. Next, I tried the yellow one. Better. Still pretty focused, good for stubborn spots. I used it carefully on some really dark, greasy stains near the BBQ area. It took some concentration to not etch the stone, keeping it moving.

• Red: Too much power for my patio. Scary strong.
• Yellow: Good for tough spots, but needed care.
• Green: Seemed like the general workhorse.
• White: Wide spray, good for rinsing.

Finding the Sweet Spot

Then I clipped on the green nozzle. Ah, much better for the main job. It had a wider spray pattern, maybe like 25 degrees? Don't know the numbers, but it covered more ground. Still had enough punch to lift the embedded dirt but didn't feel like it was destroying the surface. I started working in steady, overlapping sweeps across the patio stones.

Holding the wand maybe a foot or so away seemed about right. You could really see the line between dirty and clean appearing with each pass. It was actually pretty satisfying, watching years of grime just melt away. It took a while, going back and forth, making sure I got an even clean.

Finishing Up

Once I'd covered the main area with the green nozzle, I switched to the white one. This one was much wider, lower pressure. Perfect for rinsing all the loose dirt away without blasting stuff everywhere. Gave the whole patio a final rinse down.

Man, what a difference. The patio looks way better. Definitely learned my lesson – picking the right high pressure washer nozzle isn't just a small thing, it's kinda the whole point. Using the wrong one is either useless or damaging. Glad I took the time to swap them out and see what worked best. The green one was definitely the MVP for my patio pavers.