.... 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.)

DH has has just done ours

Looks like an alien landing strip .... it glows!

Can wait for it to become dirty again.

My neighbour has hard landscaped but no drains so uses our garden as his drain when he powerwashes his yard :-(

I'd take a couple of jet washers going at the start of the garden season over the incessant drone of lawnmowers any day (and DH's smuggery that he doesn't have to mow the lawn anymore) to be honest.

Yikes - we do it but not for long periods of time....

We had our stone flagged courtyard jet washed last week. It took two guys a couple of hours and the noise was horrendous, but luckily it's a once-a-year job that hadn't been done for at least two years and maybe longer. Can't see why there would be a need to do it more often.

One neighbour seems to have OCD when it comes to pressure-washing. After all, EVERY weekend? Have they an out-of-control healthy & hygiene phobia?

But my OH had the last laugh recently - when the manic neighbour pointed out to him that his driveway was always "clean enough to eat you dinner off!" I gleefully heard OH say "most normal people usually use plates......."

Yessss!

We use Patio Magic, make a 1 part in 4 solution of it in water, use a watering can to apply to the patio/path and leave to dry. You need to keep kids and pets off it until dry. It kills the algae and lichens, so it doesn’t all disappear instantly, but over 3 days the algae etc does change colour and die off. You can sweep with a yard broom and it just comes off as dust. They recommend you treat paths and patios before late autumn, so that they are algae free over winter. We were warned not to use a pressure washer on the patio from new, as it gradually erodes the surface of it.

Used pressure washer for years. Then bought brush with circular motion attachment, so not so messy. 5 years ago discovered Algon recommended in some gardening review. Have used it since. Algae disappears in a couple of days, environmentally friendly to use. Just dilute and spray on - Algon. No, I have no connection whatsoever with the company.

Used pressure washer for years. Then bought brush with circular motion attachment, so not so messy.
That's the thing I was meaning earlier! It's like a cover so it whizzes within the cover and can be used like a hoover.
We only have to use the jet setting for the edges.

Me and our neighbour stood outside comparing our pressure washers the other day. For a good 30 minutes.

What has become of me?

I used to literally go down on my knees to weed my block paved driveway every year. My back patio suffers from moss due to the fact that I have mature trees surrounding the house (which I like) but inevitably, I have a mossy lawn etc. I bought a Karcher last week (after observing a neighbour's effort with his) and I should have been less tight years ago. It's a revelation! It does a much better job than I ever did manually and I have a large patio and driveway. It's the difference between hand sewing and a sewing machine - hugely labour saving! Also kiln dried sand is your friend - to brush into the cavities exposed by the jet washing. I have one with a patio head attachment which basically makes it a less messier job.

Jet washing damages the surface over time. Use one of those biocides like Wet & Forget instead.

Cleans in a few days, lasts for months. Doesn't harm pets or plants.

I tried wet and forget. It's shite, made very little difference, if any, waited for weeks to see if it would. What difference it did make didn't lasts long.

I wouldn't recommend it.

YABU. If your neighbors want to use a pressure washer then they are perfectly within their rights to do so. If it bothers you that much why not just ask them if they could do it when you are out? Is that really all you have to worry about? Why not do your hoovering and put your washing machine on while they are washing their paths and get all of the noise over in one go?!

I've done it twice in 5 years, including last weekend. It was disgusting and has transformed the drive and saved me hours of backbreaking labour.It needs another go this weekend to complete the job, then it will be in good condition for about another year I reckon. I was aware of the noise but I figure my garden proud neighbours would probably appreciate our tidy up and I didn't do it at inconsiderate times. YABU. Soz.

Victor Meldrew on the prowl...

Our neighbours do the pressure wash thing for HOURS And several times a year. They do their cars as well. All 5 of them.

For me it’s less of a noise thing and more of how much water they are using. Absolutely shitloads is the answer.

Moss on the pathway? buy some inexpensive and non toxic washing soda crystals (a big Tesco stock this and its cheap as chips). make a solution in hot water and scrub the pathway with it. magic no more moss. for decking you will need to add a covering of chicken wire to stop slipping risk