So today I tried something new - soft washing with my pressure washer. Heard you could do gentle cleaning instead of just blasting things, and I figured why not give it a shot? Had this grimy patio furniture covered in green gunk and pollen. Totally gross.

What I Used

• My regular electric pressure washer (not some fancy soft wash rig)
• A cheap chemical injector thingy that screws onto the wand
• Simple house wash soap from the hardware store
• A bucket for mixing
• Plain water

First thing - mixing the soap. Bottle said one part soap to ten parts water, but honestly? I just eyeballed it into the bucket. Stirred it around with an old stick. Looked sudsy enough to me.

Getting Down to Business

Started by hooking up the chemical injector nozzle thing. Took a minute to figure out how it clipped onto the wand - instructions were useless little pictures. Fumbled with it until it stayed put. Dipped the suction tube into my soap bucket. Turned the machine on and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened! Forgot to switch the injector valve open. Rookie move. Flicked that little switch, pulled again, and bam! Soapy water started spraying out.

Surprised me! The spray wasn't that strong jet stream I'm used to. More like a wide, gentle fan. Walked up to the plastic chair slowly, started spraying about two feet away. Watched the green slime just... slide right off! Felt kinda magical. Didn't have to scrub at all, just gently moved the wand back and forth, letting the soap do the heavy lifting. Much quieter too - no scary screeching noise.

Let it soak in for about ten minutes. Saw some tougher spots bubbling up nicely.

The Rinse Off

Switched off the injector valve, swapped to the low-pressure white tip nozzle the manual calls the "40 degree tip". Rinsed the soap and grime away, starting top to bottom. Held the nozzle farther back this time - maybe three or four feet. Didn't want to gouge the plastic like I did last summer on my deck rail! The water pressure was enough to carry the sludge away without tearing anything up. Looked brand new after, just wet.

What I Learned

• That injector doohickey actually works - if you flip the dang switch
• Letting the soap sit does most of the cleaning for you
• Low pressure tip and keeping your distance? Absolute game changer
• Way faster and easier than scrubbing by hand
• Didn't break anything this time! Big win

Patio furniture looks fantastic now. Gonna try it on the vinyl siding next weekend. Guess you really can teach an old washer new tricks!