Okay, so I finally tackled the patio this weekend with a pressure washer. It was getting seriously grimy, you know? Green stuff growing in the corners, dirt everywhere. Looked pretty sad.

First things first, I had to dig the pressure washer out of the garage. It's not super heavy, but still a bit awkward. Got it out onto the driveway. Then came connecting everything. Hooked up the garden hose to the inlet, made sure it was tight. Didn't want water spraying everywhere before I even started. Then plugged the power cord in – used an outdoor extension cord, of course. Safety first, right?

Then the nozzles. Mine came with a few different ones. I stared at them for a bit. Didn't want to blast the paint off the fence nearby or etch the paving stones. I picked one that looked sort of medium, not the super-narrow pinpoint one, and not the wide fan one either. Snapped it onto the wand.

Time to start it up. Turned the water tap on full blast. Pulled the trigger on the wand just to let the air out of the hose, like the instructions kinda suggested (yeah, I glanced at them). Then flipped the power switch. The machine hummed to life. It wasn't crazy loud, but you knew it was running.

I pointed the wand at a dirty corner of the patio, standing back a bit. Squeezed the trigger. Whoosh! The spray hit the stone, and seriously, it was like magic. The dirt just vanished. A clean streak appeared instantly. Okay, this was going to be satisfying.

So, I started working my way across the patio. Found a rhythm, sweeping the wand side to side. Had to overlap the strokes a bit to avoid leaving lines. Some spots were tougher, especially where that green algae stuff was thickest. Had to hold the nozzle a bit closer or go over it a couple of times. You really see the difference right away, which keeps you motivated.

It wasn't all smooth sailing. Got sprayed a fair bit. Water bounces off the ground, walls, whatever. My shoes were soaked pretty quickly. And holding that trigger down for a long time makes your hand ache a bit. Had to take a couple of breaks just to shake my hand out and stop my arm from feeling like lead.

Also learned you gotta be careful where you point that thing. Almost blasted some soil right out of a flowerpot nearby. And you need to keep moving, don't linger too long in one spot unless it's really stubborn, otherwise, you might damage the surface.

Took maybe an hour and a half for the whole patio? It's not huge, but big enough. Once I finished spraying, I gave the whole area a quick rinse with the wider nozzle just to wash away all the loose dirt and gunk I'd blasted off.

The result? Honestly, it looked great. Like, way better. Almost like new stones. You forget how dirty things get over time until you clean them properly.

Then the cleanup. Turned off the machine, turned off the water tap. Squeezed the trigger again to release the pressure. Disconnected the garden hose, then the high-pressure hose from the machine and wand. Drained out the water as best I could. Wiped the machine down a bit and wheeled it back into the garage. Coiled up the hoses and power cord. Job done.

Felt pretty knackered afterwards, but definitely worth it. The patio looks a million times better. Simple tool, really, but makes a huge difference.