Alright, so the patio was looking absolutely nasty. Green stuff everywhere, dirt tracked in, the whole nine yards. Been meaning to tackle it for ages. Finally decided today was the day to get that pressure washer out.

First thing, had to wrestle it out of the garage corner where it sits collecting dust most of the year. Thing's not light, you know. Then, gotta connect the hoses. Hooked up the garden hose to the inlet, made sure it was tight. Don't want water spraying everywhere before you even start.

Getting Started

Checked the oil, checked the gas – it’s a gas model, bit noisy but packs a punch. Pulled the cord a few times. Took a bit of coaxing, like it always does, but eventually sputtered to life. Loud thing.

Okay, next, choosing the right nozzle tip. They give you a few. Didn't want to strip the paint off the nearby fence or blast chunks out of the paving stones, so I started with a wider spray angle, I think it was the white one? Or maybe green? Anyway, the less aggressive one.

• Connected the high-pressure hose to the machine.
• Connected the other end to the spray gun handle.
• Clicked the nozzle tip into the wand.

The Actual Washing Part

Turned the water supply on fully. Squeezed the trigger on the spray gun handle to get the air out of the system first, just letting water flow through. Then, braced myself a little – these things have a kick – and fired it up for real.

Man, the difference! Started in one corner, sweeping back and forth slowly. You could literally see the grime just melting away. It’s kinda satisfying, watching the clean concrete reappear from under all that muck. Had to be careful around the edges near the grass, didn't want to just blast mud everywhere.

Worked my way across the whole patio. Took a while. Back started complaining a bit, leaning over and handling the vibrating wand. Made sure to overlap my passes so I didn't get weird stripes. Some stubborn spots needed a closer hit or maybe switching to a slightly stronger nozzle, but mostly the wider spray did the job.

Wrapping Up

Once done, turned off the engine. Turned off the water supply at the tap. Squeezed the trigger again to release the pressure left in the hose – important step, that. Disconnected everything. The garden hose, the high-pressure hose, coiled them up. Bit wet, obviously.

The patio? Looks a million times better. Seriously. Like night and day. It's work, yeah, dragging it out, the noise, putting it all away again, but seeing it that clean? Worth it. Now just gotta let it dry out properly.