Okay folks, grab a cuppa. Last weekend I decided enough was enough with my wheelie bin. You know how it is – open the lid and that smell just hits you. Plus, there was some nasty, sticky sludge right at the bottom. Gross.

The Gross Reality Check

I lugged the bin away from the house first. Made sense, didn't want muck flying everywhere near the door. Seriously, the state of it… Old food bits, some mystery liquid leak, and actual sludge was crusted on down there. I reckon critters might have been having a party.

Hosing Wasn't Cutting It

Started simple: just the hosepipe. Sprayed it down good and proper. Water went everywhere, alright, but the real grime? Barely budged. Scrubbed with a long-handled brush and some washing-up liquid I found under the sink. It helped a bit with the smell, sure, but those really ugly spots? Still glued on. Felt like I was just moving the mess around. Annoying and way more effort than I wanted to spend.

Remembering My Old Friend

Then I remembered! Tucked away in the back of the shed – my pressure washer. Got it years back for cleaning the patio. Wasn't sure it'd work on plastic, but figured worth a shot. It wasn't a big, fancy industrial one, just a regular home machine.

Getting Down to Business

Step 1: Safety first, folks. Pulled on my oldest boots and some goggles I had for DIY. You don't want bin juice surprise in your eye. Trust me.

Step 2: Connected the washer to the garden tap, attached the lance with the wide-angle nozzle (less chance of damaging the bin plastic).

Step 3: Took a deep breath (away from the bin!) and started blasting. Started from the top, worked my way down. Amazing! Stuff was flying off. That nasty bottom sludge? Gone in seconds! It was weirdly satisfying, seeing the green goo vanish. Used a sweeping motion, kept the lance moving.

Final Touches and Verdict

After the power washer worked its magic, I gave it one more quick rinse with the hosepipe just to be thorough. Propped it open against the fence to dry completely in the sun. The difference? Night and day. Looked almost new and that horrid pong? Totally gone. Took maybe 15 minutes tops, including setup and drying.

The key, I reckon? Doing it regularly. Bin day is Tuesdays for me, so now it’s in my diary: quick blast with the washer every Tuesday afternoon. Stops the muck building up like before. Easy peasy, and no more dreading opening the lid. Seriously, if you’ve got access to one of these machines, use it! Skip the backache scrubbing.