Okay so this whole pressure washer PSI chart thing started because honestly? I got sick of guessing. Like last weekend, I'm trying to clean the grime off my old patio bricks, using this "heavy-duty" washer I borrowed from my neighbor, Mike. Thing barely took off the moss. Felt totally useless.

I went online, obviously, looking for that magic number. "What PSI do I need for patio bricks?" Saw so many different answers, and most articles just threw out ranges like "1500-4000 PSI". Which is basically saying nothing! Like, is 2000 enough? Should I push 3500? How much difference does it really make?

Decided I Needed a Cheat Sheet

Right then, I figured I had to figure this out once and for all. If those articles wouldn't tell me, I'd test it myself. Simple plan:

• Round up the washers: Hit up Mike for his again, borrowed my sister's smaller electric one she uses for her car, and dusted off my own mid-range gas beast that hadn't seen daylight since last fall.
• Find test spots: My back deck became the lab. Patio bricks (the original victim), some ancient dirty vinyl siding, my nasty concrete driveway near the garage oil stains, and some wood fence panels covered in green grunge.
• Tools needed: Just the machines, their manuals (hoping for PSI numbers!), my phone camera, and a notebook. Plus, extra coffee.

The Testing Began (Got Wet)

Started with my sister's little electric jobber. Manual claimed "1800 PSI MAX". Okay, let's see. Pointed it at the dirty siding. Did... something. Took off loose dust, but the ingrained dirt? Barely touched it. Patio bricks? Almost laughed. Needed like 5 minutes per brick to make a dent. Bottom line: Fine for your car or maybe light deck dirt, forget anything serious.

Next, Mike's slightly bigger electric one. Manual promised "2200 PSI". Noticed it had different nozzle tips – figured that mattered (spoiler: it really does!). Tried the wide fan tip first on the concrete driveway stain. Barely a scratch. Switched to the red tip (super narrow jet). Better! Took the oil stain off, but it took focused effort and moving real slow. Takeaway: Higher PSI and the right tip makes a big difference. This handled driveway oil and made decent progress on the patio bricks with the red tip, but still kinda slow.

Finally, fired up my old gas monster. Manual said "3200 PSI". Felt way stronger just holding it. Went straight for the red tip. Pointed at a patio brick – BAM! Dirt flew off like it was nothing. Cleared a brick in seconds. Moved to the fence panel – green grunge vanished with a quick pass. Concrete stain? Obliterated. Then... I accidentally grazed the actual wood deck board instead of just the grime on the vinyl siding. Uh oh. Instant giant gouge! Yeah, 3200 PSI with the red tip on soft wood? Not great. Learned that lesson the hard way.

Making Sense of the Mess (Literally)

Sitting there dripping wet, looking at my deck scar, with pages of scribbled notes like "Mikes - 2200 - red tip ok concrete slow bricks" and "mine - 3200 - red tip AWESOME except deck oops", I realized I needed to organize this chaos.

Checked the manuals again. Got their actual max PSI numbers. Wrote them down clearly for each washer. Then listed out the test surfaces. Tried to remember the effectiveness:

• Light Cleaning (Cars, Decks, Furniture): 1800-2000 PSI was honestly enough, but needed the right tip.
• Medium Duty (Patios, Driveways, Vinyl Siding): Needed that 2000-2800 PSI range Mike's had, and definitely the narrow tip. Big difference over the smaller one.
• Heavy Duty/Surfaces (Concrete, Thick Grime): My 3200 PSI washer ate this alive. BUT! Danger zone for softer stuff like wood or old mortar. Requires serious care.

Also slapped a big note right at the top: NOZZLE TIP CHOICE IS CRUCIAL! A red tip focuses the PSI way more than a wide tip. My deck gouge stands as proof.

What I Ended Up With

It ain't fancy, but it works for me. My notebook page basically looks like this now, condensed onto one sheet I stuck on the garage wall:

My PSI & Job Cheat Sheet:

• ~1800 PSI: Good for: Dusting off cars, cleaning patio furniture, light deck mildew. Not good for: Anything stuck-on or hard surfaces. Tip: Use wide fan spray.
• ~2200 PSI: Good for: Driveway oil stains (slowly), cleaning vinyl siding effectively, patio bricks (slowly). Not good for: Thick layers of grime quickly. Tip: NEEDS the red narrow tip for tougher stuff.
• ~3200 PSI: Good for: Blasting through thick mud, old concrete stains, cleaning stone patios fast. Not good for: ANYTHING remotely delicate (wood, paint, asphalt shingles!). Tip: Use carefully with red tip or try wider tip depending on surface.

Point is, I stopped caring about abstract "ranges". I mapped it directly to my machines and my typical jobs. Now I grab the washer and tip based on the chart. No more guessing, no more borrowing the wrong tool, and (hopefully) no more gouging the deck!