A pressure washer can take the hard work out of a whole host of cleaning tasks by simply blasting out a jet of fast water onto the surface.
This can knock the dirt off of the surface as well as help to remove any stubborn stains from cars as well as patios and decking.
There are many brands on the market, all varying in price and so it can be hard to know which one to go for.
To find out which brand worked best on paving slabs, I recently tested out Black+Decker’s pressure washer with the patio attachment, which retails for around £130.
I put this pressure washer against Kärchers K5 Smart Control Home, a popular brand known for its pressure washers, which retails from £280, more than double Black+Decker’s.
The washer came with a variety of versatile attachments that made cleaning the areas easy, made easier with the two different pressure settings.
It is also small enough to be carried around the garden or drive with ease but does come with wheels for added agility.
Unboxing was simple, although the instructions inside the box were extremely unclear, and I had to revert to a YouTube video for guidance.
I was also pleasantly surprised to see a soap dispenser with the tool, which is extremely handy.
With a simple on and off switch, this pressure washer couldn’t be any easier to use. I did notice this pressure washer is quite loud, although it wasn’t significantly louder than a lawnmower.
It is advised to take care when using pressure washers, especially when near the home as they can cause damage due to the fast pace the water comes out of the device.
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I started working on one tile at a time and the dirt was instantly disappearing, I didn’t realise how dirty the tiles were before I cleaned them. It did take a while however, and I had to go over a couple of tiles twice.
The pressure washer also leaked a couple of times out of the back despite being connected properly.
To put the other pressure washer to the test, I decided to try it out on my back garden’s patio, which hasn’t been cleaned for several years.
There was moss growing in between the slabs as well as dirt accumulating on the paving slabs themselves, which I wanted gone before the summer started. This machine came with various accessories including a patio cleaner as well as bluetooth which can connect to your phone to control the pressure and settings.
Kärcher says this machine is ideal for cleaning dirt, mud, muck and grime off surfaces, such as gardening machines, tools, patios, balcony furniture, motorcycles and more.
This pressure washer’s instructions weren’t the clearest and like the other one, I had to refer to photos and a video online for help.
I also found setting up with the app took a lot of time so I decided to skip connecting it to my phone as I wouldn’t have my phone when pressure washing anyway.The various settings made the cleaning job enjoyable though, and I made sure to use the patio attachment which easily clicked on and off.
I did have to turn the pressure down because I found it quite hard to keep the patio attachment on the ground, but once I did this, the dirt was coming off with ease and the whole patio took only 20 minutes to clean.
The Kärcher K5 also features an LCD panel on the gun, allowing you to view the setting so that you can always be in control.
The machine is quite heavy so it isn’t one to be picked up very often, but its wheels definitely make it easier to take around the garden, which I needed to do quite often to be able to reach corners.
The result was amazing, completely changing the colour of my patio and the patio grout too, leaving no dirt behind.
Comparing the two together, the Black+Decker pressure washer works just as well as Kärcher’s, although I did find the Kärcher one slightly easier to use thanks to the LCD screens and multiple different settings.
I definitely think it is worth paying the extra money for the Kärcher, especially if planning on using it for various other jobs such as cleaning cars and garden furniture.
I also like how all of the different attachments fit right onto the machine, making it compact and neat so it doesn’t take up lots of space in the shed or garage.
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