.... to object to people pressure washing garden paving?

[JennieLee]

It just seems very noisy and goes on for hours. I have neighbours on either side who like to do this.

Is it a clean freak thing to do like bleaching door frames? I've heard it's not actually very good for the stones.

I just sweep the paved areas of the garden with an old-fashioned broom from time to time.

(Naturally I tolerate this in the way you have to tolerate neighbours' eccentricities. But this seems to be some new fashion. I can't remember it happening when I was younger.)

There’s a whole Reddit section devoted to this. I think it’s called power washing porn.

Sometimes solid paving can become really slippery and it's a choice of jet washing or toxic chemicals to get them clean again.

My neighbours have built a 6ft breeze block wall on our boundary wall in place of the fence that used to be there.

It casts our garden into total shade for a good 75% of the garden and means that it's full of moss and other slippy stuff. My mum is disabled and my dogs are and all three of them slip all over the garden if it's not pressure washed 2-3 times a year.

FreshPrincess I have just told DH about that Reddit section. He said 'What, people jet washing their bits?' Ouch!

We use a leaf blower. But we have a three acre garden and a shit Ton of trees, so it's a lot of work, even with the leaf blower, because you then need to move the leaves, once you've got them in a huge pile, and if you don't move them, it kills the grass where they lie and becomes a mulchy mess.

Our gardens fairly neat and tidy, and I prefer it that way. I've yet to see an overgrown/uncared for one with a grubby patio and thought "oh how lovely". So we all have different tastes.

It's up to people to manage their outside space as they see fit. If someone prefers a more untended garden v someone preferring a tidier one, then so what. You need to expect some noise if you chose to live close to people and they have a right to tend their space.

I've just finished my front garden. Took a hour. Like other posters have said I have a good bit of shade so need to do it in order to prevent slippery moss as I have a toddler . I found it so satisfying but I was so surprised how many dirty looks I got from people walking on the pavement alongside my garden. ...... wouldn't you just step on the road briefly to escape the mist form the water. You'd have thought I was committing some horrible crime!!!!

And nowhere near as much rain either SuburbanRhonda! Here are the trees that surround our house - there are loads of them.

If you look at our roof - this is kind of what the patio looks like.

It's not "gardening" though, is it? It's using a power tool.

I can't believe people actually think it's acceptable to soak a neighbour and their washing with dirty water and make another car dirty while cleaning theirs just so they can clean the patio in the sunshine! Actually I can. People are just so cunty these days!

Not everyone lives in a detached house. Lots of people live in terraces.

Fucking hell, hisname. Just stop when people come along. Why should people walk in the road so you don't soak them!? SMH.

You need to expect some noise if you chose to live close to people and they have a right to tend their space.

I think the majority of us - who live in urban/suburban areas - will always live close to people. In rural areas or affluent outer suburbia, I suppose it is possible to live out of earshot of neighbours.

No, I don't mind people 'tending' their properties. However, it does occur to me that that this is probably a noisier business than it used to be because of the increased availability of power tools. I think some people get a buzz out of using them and literally forget about other people when they go into power tool world. (Rather as people forget they can be overheard when talking on a mobile as they're so focused on the conversation.)

I also wonder if abhorrence of a 'grubby' or 'slimy' patio is another Mumsnet thing. It hadn't really occurred to me. I think patios themselves are relatively modern - and it does seem relatively pointless to have them in shady area. Is there a fashion thing - lawns and gardens are now seen as high-maintenance, and paving is seen as lower maintenance (apart from the fact you have to constantly guard against slime and grub.) It's really like regarding the outside of your hose as more like a bit of the inside, if you see what I mean.

I can't believe people actually think it's acceptable to soak a neighbour and their washing with dirty water and make another car dirty while cleaning theirs just so they can clean the patio in the sunshine!
Actually I can. People are just socuntythese days!
So cunty. I mean. It's impossible to direct a pressure washer to the area it's needed.

Obviously, if your car parking space is right next to someone's washing line then you'd do it when the washing isn't there.
Just like when I lived in a terrace, next door would give us a knock if we had washing out ajd they were about to BBQ.
It certainly wouldn't have crossed my mind to take the MN minority view that one must be able to sit in a peaceful garden at any time and anything which affects that is a sign your neighbours are cunts.

However, it does occur to me that that this is probably a noisier business than it used to be because of the increased availability of power tools
I'm sure running a dishwasher makes more noise for longer than hand washing them.
Using a washing machibe makes more noise than hand washing.
Running a tumble drier is noiser than pegging washing out.
Going to a car wash is noisier than hand washing.
Using a car makes more noise than walking or using a bike.

It doesn't mean we're going to step backwards and make life more difficult for ourselves just in case we offend the sensitivities of a neighbour who thinks they should have peace and quiet at any time they like.

Well I'm sure some folks do get a buzz out of using them, but the reality is power washing your patio is a filthy job. Hence why folks usually don't do it often.

I don't think power washing your patio is a mumsnet thing. It's very very common, to the extent I would call it the norm and most people do it if they can, at least annually.

I also don't think gardens are now seen as high maintenance. People have been maintaining their gardens for ever. I'd also say that was normal. You just need to drive down any street to see it. The over grown, grubby ones will be much fewer than the relatively tidy ones. It's always been like that pretty much,

But like any other house hold chore, tools now exist to make it easier for us.

I don't mind noise! I used to work nights and accept people will now lawns and do diy in the day. It's fine. It's not cool to actually spray your fence when there is someone next door a few feet away in the garden!
And if your neighbor essentially emptied a bucket of dirty water over your car you'd be annoyed! Just wait till I'm out!
The size of my back garden means when neighbour does his patio a fine spray of muddy water rains down on mine! That's just not cool!

I hate pressure washers.
Not other people's, mine.
Bloody stupid thing. It just spreads dirt everywhere. I would rather the dirt on the floor than spread up the walls, trampoline, dogs and fences.

And it gets all over your feet!

uterus then they can't use a pressure washer properly.
I've got some delicate planters and manage to pressure wash my patio without loads of dirty water getting my plants just fine (move them off the patio onto the lawn but close by).

Does some fine mist travel if i have it as a single jet. Yeah. A little.

But you can also buy attachments for pressure washers that keep the end enclosed when doing decks and patios too so the spray is contained.

It's a perfectly reasonable household job to do.

I can't believe people actually think it's acceptable to soak a neighbour and their washing with dirty water and make another car dirty while cleaning theirs just so they can clean the patio in the sunshine! Actually I can. People are just so cunty these days!

Massive jump there Uterus

I agree with Maisypops that some of the tools, or equipment we use now is noisier than 50 years ago, (although other things - trains for example, aren't) but it doesn't mean people shouldn't be expected to make use of new technology.

Hang on, who said they soaked a neighbour and dirtied someone else’s car??

I think I would like the world to be quieter generally. I suspect that noise stresses us - rather as screentime does - so that is harder to wind down and sleep,

But I'm fine about neighbours washing and neighbours children playing and hearing people chat and the music from next doors radio. For some reason I find the noise of power tools particularly unpleasant. (And my garden though a little less regimented than some is a thing of loveliness.....)

OP
It's fine to find the sound of power tools unpleasant, but someone's preference does not make another person's actions unreasonable.

I would prefer it if people up the street didn't have large gatherings whenever there's a hot weekend but you know what, lively chatter mid afternoon when they have BBQs is perfectly reasonable (especially when everyone clears off by early evening). My preference ti hear the birds and the quiet lilt of next door's radio doesn't mean another neighbour's choices are unreasonable.

Of all the things to get annoyed about OP

We are the opposite of clean freaks-but even we do ours periodically. Garden is North facing and over winter it gets so slimy from lack of sun plus we have free range chickens so it needs blasting to get the poo off.
We don’t do it weekly (just sweep), but probably 4-6 times per year. It turns the slabs from grey back to pink-ish

I don't think I am annoyed - a bit puzzled as I often am by other people. By posting here I have learned a great deal about the dangers of Patio Slime. However, as I know my neighbours' patios are not shady and overlooked by mature trees, and are basically like my own patio which is neither slippery nor slimy, this fails to explain the situation. I tend to adhere to the idea that Neighbour A likes to be Very Clean - I know this from years ago when she was horrified by the idea of her kids doing some play with our that basically involved the risk of them getting slightly dirty. Meanwhile Neighbour B loves all machines and engines and power tools.

I agree with Maisypops that some of the tools, or equipment we use now is noisier than 50 years ago,
I think that whenever I see beautiful middle-class Georgian, Victorian or Edwardian terraced town-houses. Bit of a different experience when the worst noise you’d hear would be afternoon tea piano playing...

soy I did. Because those things literally happened to me this weekend.
My neighbour is a twat tho.