The easiest and most complete way to clean a patio or sidewalk is with a power washer. These power washers will force water through a nozzle at the end of a wand at high pressure that you can direct at a concrete or paver surface to remove stains and dirt. They are very effective and can be used alone or with a cleaning solution. Some of the larger pressure washers will even heat the water as well which helps to remove even more dirt and grease from the surface.

Using one of these pressure washers takes a little practice and it’s always best to experiment with an area of the surface you are attempting to clean that is not normally visible. Try cleaning a section that is under the stairs, or a hidden corner first to make sure the power washer won’t damage the surface before you start working on the larger portion of the patio. Once you know that the power washer is OK to use you can start at one corner and work your way across the surface.

There are a variety of nozzles available for the power washer and you should always start out with a wide pattern and sweep the wand across the surface in a very broad pattern to minimize any streaking. You can go back and clean the surface a second time if necessary with a smaller nozzle pattern. If you have an area that is stained, try using a more concentrated nozzle on that area and be sure to start with the wand high above the surface and work your way in slowly. When you finish with the spot cleaning you should go back and do a general cleaning of the whole patio to avoid streaking.

Even though there are a number of cleaning solutions available for stain removal you should always do your first pass with just water. In most cases this will be enough to remove the surface dirt. By not using the cleaning solution you can save some money and will also not have to worry about damaging the grass and plants around the patio. If this initial cleaning doesn’t give you the results you are after, you can always do a second pass with a small amount of cleaning solution if needed.

Some of the power washers come with a brush attachment and this can be handy to help you remove the more stubborn stains. Having this brush on the end of the wand allows you to soak the area, scrub with the brush to loosen the dirt and then immediately wash it away with the wand. This enables you to get the really deep-set stains out by simply agitating the surface.

One method that works well for cleaning a patio is pressure washing. This is a quick and easy way to clean off years of use and stains and will leave your patio in top shape. Pressure washing relies on high-pressure water to help loosen the adhesive bonds that occur naturally with dirt and stains and allow them to stick to a surface. The high velocity water breaks these bonds and allows the dirt to be flushed away in the process.

In some cases these pressure washers will also heat up the water it delivers to the surface. This helps to accelerate the cleaning efforts by breaking down the adhesive even more quickly. By heating the water you can sometimes cut your cleaning time in half and avoid the danger and expense of harsh chemicals as well.

In addition to heating the water many pressure washers have the option of injecting specific cleaning solutions into the water they deliver to the surface. These cleaning solutions can help to loosen the dirt and make it easier for the water to wash it away. Because these pressure washers can be used on a wide variety of surface materials, these cleaning solutions are very specific for material and stain type. When cleaning a patio the first pass across the surface should be done with clean water only to see if the results are satisfactory. If needed, the second pass can be done with a cleaning solution added to help remove even more dirt.

Pressure washers give the operator a choice of nozzles to use that help to concentrate the stream of water into a specific cleaning pattern. These patterns vary from wide linear patterns to nozzles that will actually rotate the stream in a circular pattern to help the cleansing action. By varying the angle that the water hits the surface it can help loosen even the toughest stains. These nozzles will snap into the end of the cleaning wand and allow the operator to adjust as needed for various cleaning situations. Some of the power washers also include brush attachments that can be used to agitate the surface if needed to help loosen the dirt.

Some patio materials pose an additional challenge for a pressure washer since they are made up of individual pavers or bricks with a loose mortar in between. You need to be careful when cleaning a paver patio since the high-pressure stream can loosen the material between the bricks and loosen the surface. With this type of patio surface it is always best to use a lower setting and a wider pattern of spray to clean these pavers.