My new favorite cleaning tool

A little back story: I knew that the cement patio was dirty and I figured I'd take a broom and some soap and scrub it down...Tom felt it would take a bit more than that. He bought a power washer and I think it may be the best thing since running water! When we picked it up, the cashier said she had one and it worked really well - she just uses a little Simple Green as a detergent, and off goes the dirt. That was good to know.

So, we got home and Tom decided to clean the front porch and sidewalk. Marvelous! I had blamed the dark stains out there on the fact that the previous owner of our home had kept plants on the porch. Now I think the problem is due to the lack of gutters on our roof. The rain just comes running off onto the sidewalk, leaving a residue that has built up to a nasty blackish mess on all the cement surrounding the house. He had to leave to greet a troop returning from deployment, so I took over on the driveway. Rain stopped the process for the evening, but we resumed the next day to finish the drive, then move to the back patio. We used water alone, no detergent. Look at the difference this thing makes!

(I knew the patio was dirty, but I didn't realize just how dirty.)