Okay, let's talk about getting one of those pressure washers for around the house.

My Dive into Pressure Washing

So, the driveway was looking pretty sad. Years of dirt, some green stuff growing in the shady spots, you know how it gets. Same story for the back patio. I kept thinking I should do something about it. Scrubbing by hand? No way, takes forever and kills my back.

I'd seen folks using pressure washers, looked pretty satisfying blasting all that gunk away. Decided it was time. Didn't want anything massive, just something for basic home stuff – concrete, maybe the fence, perhaps the car sometimes.

Went and picked one up. Got an electric one. Figured it would be easier, less fuss than dealing with gas and oil. Plus, quieter, maybe? That was the hope anyway.

Getting Started

Brought the box home. Pulled everything out. Wasn't too complicated, really. Had to snap the handle on, attach the hose holder thingy. Put the wheels on, which was good, 'cause it had a bit of weight to it, not heavy, but awkward to just carry.

Then came the hoses. Hooked up my garden hose to the inlet. Easy enough. Then connected the high-pressure hose that came with it to the machine and the spray gun. Seemed straightforward. Checked the connections, made sure they felt tight.

First Blast Off

Plugged it in. Turned on the water faucet. Took a deep breath. Squeezed the trigger on the spray gun. Whoosh! Water came out, but not super strong yet, just clearing the air out of the hose I guess.

Then the motor kicked in. Bit of a buzz, not crazy loud like I feared. Pointed it at a really dirty patch on the driveway. Wow. Okay, yeah, this thing works. It just peeled the dirt right off. Left a clean streak. Pretty cool.

Learning Curve (Sort Of)

It came with a few different nozzle tips. Tried them out.

• One made a really fine, sharp stream. Powerful, but small area. Good for stubborn spots, maybe? Felt like I could etch my name if I wasn't careful.
• Another made a wider fan spray. Less intense, but covered more ground. Seemed better for the main job of cleaning the big flat areas.

Spent the afternoon doing the whole driveway. Took a while, going back and forth in overlapping lines. Kind of like mowing the lawn, but wetter. Definitely got splashed a bit, should've worn boots maybe.

Did the patio next. Same deal. Blasted away all the grime and mossy bits between the pavers. Looked way better afterwards.

What I Reckon

It's definitely quicker than scrubbing. No doubt. The results are pretty obvious straight away. It's not zero effort, you still have to stand there and move the wand back and forth, manage the hoses so they don't get tangled. And it uses a fair bit of water.

Cleaned the machine off afterwards, wiped it down. Drained the hoses like the instructions said. Coiled everything up and stuck it in the garage. Didn't take up a huge amount of space.

Overall, pretty happy with getting it. Made a job I was dreading much, much easier. Driveway looks new again. Mostly. Still need to tackle the fence one of these weekends.