What a disappointment! I saved up for vouchers on one of my survey sites for over a year to get a pressure washer. We finally got one yesterday and tried it out excitedly for the first time today. I realise it was just me being unrealistic but I kind of just wanted to switch it on, swish it about a bit and everything be sparkling. In reality, after 30 minutes of blasting it in one small area, there are clean lines and mucky streaks everywhere. It looks worse than before we started!
Theres a technique to using them, working the right way etc so you aren't spraying dirty water where you've been. You can buy detergent that helps too or patio cleaner to brush on first
Bought one (75£) a couple of months ago: wow. It took me about a week on and off. I was cleaning off 15 years of muck. Looks brand new now but you've really got to put some elbow grease in. Very methodical movement required. I was doing it in my sleep by the end. Not good on my back either.
I've just ordered £50 pounds worth of Argos vouchers from my Survey site knowing the SSD I want isn't in stock, no patience what's so ever.
Tbh generally speaking you pay for what you get, some of the small pressure washers are only any good if you've a small area to do, they often have a reasonable pressure but don't actual put enough water down, a bit like cutting your lawn with scissors when you really need a ride on mower.
Yeah, I went for a 2000W, 110-160 bar one as a good middle road. I'd done quite a bit of reading up in my year of saving that's part of the reason I felt disappointed. Maybe I need to approach it properly with detergent and a clear plan rather than rushing outside and spraying it about wildly in a test run.
We've got a Karcher K2 - I love it! Done the patio a couple of times and recently bought a snow foam lance to use on my car; really impressed!
I've just done 550+ flags on the patio of my workplace. They were black and now gleaming white. Before you start power washing over the previous few days get a strong mix of ordinary bleach and brush it over. Do it 2 or 3 times and let the bleach do the spade work. You'll be pleasantly surprised and its far less work for you and your machine.
Definitely worth buying a decent TFR/degreaser. Spray on just before leave for 5-10 minutes and wash off, You’ll be surprised what difference it will make. Something like below is perfect, it’s also really good for many other purposes too around house. If you can get hold of local Franchisee you will get cheaper or can order from here: https://autosmart.co.uk/shop/g101-5l
Or soda crystals, damp the area first with a watering can then sprinkle them on and leave for a day or two. Kills off any moss as well. Then give it all a good blast with the power washer. We have a K’archer. My Mrs done the patio, garden wall and copings whilst she’s furloughed all look brand new now using this method.
get one of these for doing patio's and decking... it makes a huge difference https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pressure-F...sprefix=pressure+washer+brush,aps,135&sr=8-25
These are good but if you have block paving be careful not to wash out all the sand . Also the older ones were prone to breaking if you stopped using it for a while but left it under pressure. If you decide to have a cuppa turn the power off and release the pressure. I don’t know if the latest ones are still prone to the problem but better to be safe
