Alright, so let me tell you about this pressure washer nozzle holder situation. It’s been bugging me for ages, honestly. You get this awesome pressure washer, right? Ready to blast grime off everything. But then there are these tiny little nozzles. And where do they go? Either the built-in holder is a joke, or they just give you nothing and expect you to, I don’t know, juggle them?

The Last Straw

So, picture this: I’m out there, ready to clean the patio. Got the machine set up, hose connected, everything’s looking good. I reach for a different nozzle, and poof! The one I was just using, I swear, it just vanished. Or maybe it fell off the flimsy plastic thing they call a holder. Again. That was it. I was done. Done with losing nozzles. Done with that pathetic excuse for a holder that came with the machine.

I stomped inside, probably still muttering about it. My wife just gave me that look, you know the one. The "here he goes again" look. But I was serious this time. I wasn’t going to buy another fancy accessory that would probably break or be just as useless. Nope. I was going to make my own.

Figuring Things Out

First, I rummaged around the garage. What did I have? I found a decent-sized piece of fairly thick plastic, some kind of offcut from another project. Perfect. Didn't need to be pretty, just functional. My main goal was simple: a place for each nozzle, secure, and easy to grab.

I grabbed the nozzles themselves. Okay, how big are the little "quick connect" ends? I didn't have fancy calipers lying around, so I just kind of eyeballed it with a drill bit. Found one that looked about right for the hole size. I figured I wanted the nozzles to sit snugly, but not so tight I’d need pliers to get them out.

So, I marked out where I wanted the holes on this plastic piece. I decided to make it big enough to hold all my standard nozzles, plus a spare spot, just in case. Why not, right? More is better than not enough, especially when you're making it yourself.

Getting to Work (and a few oopsies)

Then came the drilling. I clamped the plastic down to my workbench – learned that lesson the hard way on a different project, believe me. Started drilling the holes. My first hole was a little bit off-center. Classic. Of course, it was. But it wasn't a disaster. I just adjusted my aim for the next ones.

Here’s a little tip I figured out: I drilled a smaller pilot hole first, then went in with the bigger bit. Seemed to make it cleaner. After drilling, the edges of the holes were a bit rough. So I took a utility knife and carefully shaved off the burrs. Didn't want to snag a finger or a nozzle.

Now, how to attach this thing to the pressure washer? The original holder (the useless one) was screwed onto the handle. I looked, and yup, there were a couple of existing screw holes. Bingo! I just needed to drill a couple of mounting holes in my new plastic holder that lined up with those. Measured it twice, drilled once. Well, maybe measured three times. I wasn’t taking chances at this point.

• Found a sturdy piece of scrap plastic.
• Measured the nozzle bases for hole size (kinda).
• Drilled the holes for the nozzles.
• Cleaned up the rough edges.
• Figured out how to mount it using existing screw holes on the washer.

The Moment of Truth

I took my new, slightly-less-than-perfect-but-totally-functional holder out to the pressure washer. Lined up the mounting holes, found a couple of screws that fit, and tightened it down. It felt solid. Much more solid than the original flimsy thing.

Then I grabbed my nozzles. One by one, I pushed them into the holes. They clicked in nicely! Snug, but not too tight. I could pull them out with one hand. I even gave the pressure washer a little shake – they stayed put!

Success! It sounds like such a small thing, a nozzle holder. But man, the satisfaction. Every time I use the pressure washer now, I see my holder, and it just works. No more lost nozzles. No more fumbling around. It’s right there, where it should be.

Why Bother?

Some people might say, "Why go to all that trouble for a nozzle holder? Just buy one." And yeah, maybe. But you know what? Sometimes it’s not about buying the fanciest thing. Sometimes it’s about fixing a simple, annoying problem with your own two hands. Plus, the ones they sell often aren't designed by people who actually use the darn things day in and day out. They're designed to be cheap to manufacture, not necessarily good to use.

So yeah, my DIY pressure washer nozzle holder isn't going to win any design awards. It’s a bit utilitarian. But it cost me basically nothing except a bit of time, and it does the job perfectly. And that, my friends, is a win in my book.