Okay, let me tell you about my day wrestling with the pressure water cleaner. Had this patio, right? Looked like it hadn't seen a good scrub since... well, ever. Moss, grime, the whole nine yards. Figured it was time to bring out the big gun.

Getting Started

First off, dragged the machine out of the shed. Thing's heavier than it looks. Checked the oil, looked okay. Gas model, this one. Hooked up the garden hose to the inlet. Made sure it was tight – don't want water spraying everywhere before you even start. Then attached the high-pressure hose and the spray wand. That part's usually straightforward.

Then comes the nozzle choice. This is where you gotta think a bit. They give you a few different ones, usually color-coded. Don't just grab the zero-degree one unless you wanna carve your name into the concrete. I went for one of the wider fan patterns, maybe 25 or 40 degrees? Figured I could always switch if it wasn't cutting it.

Safety stuff next. Put on some old boots and definitely safety glasses. You get sprayback, and you don't want grit in your eyes. Trust me on that one.

Firing It Up and Cleaning

Alright, turned the water tap on full blast. Let the water run through the hose and out the wand for a bit, just to get the air out. Squeezed the trigger, just water coming out. Good. Then, pulled the cord on the engine. Took a couple of pulls, sputtered a bit, then roared to life. Loud things, these gas ones.

Okay, braced myself, pointed the wand down at a really grimy spot, and squeezed the trigger. Whoosh! That pressure hits you. Started moving the wand back and forth, maybe 8-10 inches off the surface. You gotta keep it moving in a steady sweep. Hold it too close or too long in one spot, and you can damage the surface. Learned that the hard way on some old wood once.

It was pretty satisfying, watching the dirt just peel away. Like erasing a mistake. Did the whole patio in sections. Took a while. My arms got a bit tired holding that wand, vibrates a bit too. Some spots were tougher, needed a slightly closer pass or a different angle. But that fan nozzle did the job for most of it.

• Keep a consistent distance.
• Overlap your sweeps slightly.
• Watch out for loose stones or plants nearby.

Wrapping Up

Once the main cleaning was done, I switched to a wider nozzle (or just held the trigger lightly) to give the whole area a good rinse, pushing all the dirty water away. Looked way better. Night and day, really.

Then, the shutdown process. Turned off the engine first. Squeezed the trigger on the wand to release any leftover pressure in the hose – important step! Then turned off the water tap. Disconnected the garden hose, then the high-pressure hose. Let everything drain out. Gave the machine a quick wipe-down. Pushed it back to the shed. Job done.

Took a good chunk of the afternoon, but yeah, totally worth it. The patio actually looks usable now. Pressure washers are work, but they get results you just can't get by hand scrubbing.