My Day with the Pressure Washer

Alright, so today was the day I finally tackled that grimy patio. Been meaning to do it for ages, and the pressure washer has just been sitting there in the garage. Pulled it out this morning, felt like a good day for it.

First things first, had to get it all hooked up. Found the manual, figured out where the water hose connects, pretty simple. Then got the power cord sorted. It’s an electric one, which is fine by me, less messing around than gas maybe. The tricky part was choosing the right nozzle tip. Came with a bunch of colored ones. I remembered reading something about different spray angles, so I grabbed one that looked like a medium fan spray to start. Didn't want anything too aggressive right off the bat.

Getting Started

Turned on the water, then hit the power switch. The machine hummed to life. Grabbed the wand, squeezed the trigger, and whoosh! Okay, yeah, this thing has some force. Definitely need a firm grip. Started on a corner of the patio that doesn't show much, just to get the feel of it. Moved the wand back and forth, keeping it maybe a foot or so off the surface. You could instantly see the difference, stripping away layers of green stuff and dirt.

• Kept a steady motion, overlapping each pass slightly.
• Made sure not to linger too long in one spot.
• Tried a slightly narrower nozzle tip (maybe the 25-degree one?) for some really stubborn stains near the wall. Worked better, but you gotta be more careful with that concentrated power.

Took a break halfway through. My hands were buzzing a bit from the vibration. It’s definitely more work than just hosing things down. But the results were obvious. The patio started looking like new stone again, not that weird gray-green color it had become.

Lessons Learned On The Go

Learned a few things pretty quickly. You absolutely do not want to point this thing at your feet. Nearly splashed my boots once, and the force, even indirectly, felt serious. Definitely kept pets and people well away. Also realized how important it was to keep the spray moving. Pausing even for a second could etch a line into softer surfaces if you're not careful, especially with the stronger nozzles. I stuck with the wider, fan-like spray for most of it, like that 40-degree tip people mention for cars. Seemed safer for general cleaning.

I thought about using it on the car wheels later, but maybe with the 25-degree nozzle, carefully. Definitely wouldn't blast the car paint directly with anything too strong, and absolutely nowhere near the engine bay – feels like asking for trouble with all the sensors and wires in there. A regular hose is probably smarter for that most of the time.

Wrapping Up

Finished the whole patio area after about an hour or so. Turned off the machine, then the water supply. Squeezed the trigger one last time to release the pressure in the hose, like the instructions said. Disconnected everything, drained the water out of the pump and hoses as best I could, then coiled everything up and put it back in the garage.

So, yeah. The pressure washer. It’s effective, no doubt about it. A bit of a workout, and you need to pay attention to what you're doing. But for that deep-clean job? Totally worth dragging it out. The patio looks a hundred times better.