Wanted to Try a Pressure Washer
Since we bought our (used) house, the moss and grime on the balcony and exterior wall had been bothering me — but I’d been pretending not to see it. To be fair, I had tried scrubbing with a deck brush, but it barely made a dent.
Browsing the home improvement store, I’d see pressure washers and think about it. But buying one was around 20,000 yen (~$130), and I had no idea how well they actually worked. So I never pulled the trigger.
Renting from Cainz (Japanese DIY Chain)
Then I discovered that Cainz (a Japanese home improvement chain) rents out pressure washers!
I had to try it.
・Which model?
Karcher K2 Silent.
・How much?
1,500 yen (~$10) per overnight rental. (Picked it up in the morning, returned it at night.)
Comes with the assorted nozzles.
Manual included too.
Test Run
Time to use it.
Result: way more powerful than I expected.
Before & after photos:
＜Before＞
The balcony wall. Hard to tell if it’s grime or moss, but the color was clearly off.
＜After＞
Clean.
Side note: this is a 2nd-floor balcony, so the garden hose for the pressure washer doesn’t reach. The pressure washer can also draw water from a bucket, which is what I did.
Then the parking pad.
＜Before＞
＜After＞
Verdict
My first time using a pressure washer — the results blew past my expectations.
※ Honest note: there’s some hassle with managing the cord and hose, similar to a corded vacuum cleaner.
But the cleaning power is on a different level from a brush. Definitely on my list for spring/year-end deep cleaning going forward.
Comments