Alright let's dive into this mess I got myself into with pressure washers. You know how it is, that oily gunk baked onto the driveway just wouldn't budge with my old cold-water sprayer. Felt like throwing a glass of water at a grease fire. So I thought, hot water gotta melt that stuff, right? Time to test 'em both.

The Cold Water Struggle

First, hooked up my trusty old cold-water electric washer. Plugged it in, dragged the hose around the side of the house - kinda tripped over the darn thing, swore a bit. Pointed it right at this nasty oil spot near the garage door that's been mocking me since last summer.

Trigger down, full blast. Water went EVERYWHERE. Got my jeans soaked. The water bounced off that stain like it was coated in Teflon. Sprayed cleaner on it, scrubbed hard, blasted it again. Took maybe ten minutes just to kinda fade it a little bit? Still looked like crap. Felt like a workout with nothing to show.

• Cold Water Pros: Cheaper up front. Easier to move around. Didn’t burn my hand.
• Cold Water Cons: Barely touched greasy stuff. Felt weak. Used way more water trying to force it clean.

Bringing In The Heat

Next day, rented a hot water electric washer. Thing weighed a ton. Felt like hauling bricks. Needed a bigger spot, closer to the garage outlet. Plugged it in, hooked up the hose AND the water line. Took me like twenty minutes to figure out the connections weren’t leaking all over my shoes. Smelled like rubber and warm plastic when it started humming.

Steam started curling out the nozzle. That surprised me! Aimed at the same stupid oil stain. Pulled the trigger. Whoa. Hot spray hit that grease like... well, hot water on grease! Started breaking it up INSTANTLY. Blob just kinda melted away into a brown puddle under the jet stream. Did another stubborn spot, some old bird poop baked onto the patio furniture. Zapped it in seconds. Almost burned my knuckle when the steam gusted back. Lesson learned.

• Hot Water Pros: NUKED grease & dirt. Worked super fast. Felt way more powerful.
• Hot Water Cons: Heavy. Needed good power outlet. Got hot to touch. Way pricier.

So Who Wins?

After wrestling with both, here's the deal:

If all you got is mud on the siding, patio furniture, or garden fence? Cold water washer does the job okay. It's cheaper and lighter. Don't waste your cash.

But man, if you're up against baked-on gunk, car oil leaks, grease stains near the BBQ, or moldy corners? Hot water isn't just better - it's the only thing that even worked properly! Blasted stuff my cold sprayer just smeared around. Worth every extra penny for the nasty jobs.

Kinda depends how dirty your "dirty" really is! Both have their place, but my driveway ain't cold-water territory anymore. Hot water or bust.