Okay, so the backyard patio was looking pretty rough. Like, embarrassingly green and black in spots. Moss, dirt, who knows what else. Decided it was finally time to tackle it with some power washing.

Getting Set Up

First thing, I had to drag the power washer out of the shed. Thing's heavier than it looks. Got it closer to the patio and hooked up the garden hose to the machine and the spigot. Made sure those connections were really tight. Learned that lesson the hard way before – ended up spraying myself more than the deck.

Then came picking the right nozzle tip. They usually come with a few colored ones. I remembered reading somewhere you gotta be careful not to blast the wood into splinters. Started with a wider angle one, I think it was the green or white tip? Figured I could always switch to a stronger one if needed.

Filled it up with gas – it's a gas model, pretty noisy but gets the job done. Checked the oil too, just in case. Plugged in the spray gun hose to the machine itself. Another connection to check for tightness!

The Actual Washing Part

Alright, time to fire it up. Pulled the cord, and VROOM, it roared to life. Gotta say, even with the wider nozzle, the pressure felt pretty intense when I first squeezed the trigger. Did a test spray on a corner that wasn't too obvious, just to get a feel for it.

Started working my way across the patio boards. You have to keep the wand moving, kinda like spray painting. Overlapping passes. It was honestly super satisfying watching the layers of grime just peel away. You could see the original color of the wood coming back through.

• Kept a steady distance from the surface.
• Moved back and forth in smooth lines.
• Tried not to linger in one spot too long.

It definitely kicked up a lot of muddy spray. My boots and pants were soaked and splattered pretty quickly. Note to self: wear older clothes next time. After doing the main flat area, I did switch to a slightly narrower nozzle (maybe the yellow one?) for some stubborn spots, especially where the green algae was thickest. Had to be more careful with that one, though.

Wrapping It Up

Took a good couple of hours, but wow, what a difference. The patio looked almost new. Let it dry out completely in the sun.

Cleanup involved rinsing off the machine itself, disconnecting the hoses, and putting everything back. Drained the leftover gas too, since I probably won't use it again for a while. The tools themselves held up fine. The main thing is just taking your time with the setup and using the right nozzle for the job you're doing. Definitely worth the effort, beats scrubbing by hand any day.