There is so much information about this question on the internet, its like what came first the chicken or the egg. We will answer this question based on our many years of experience in stone restoration.
Pressure washers are great we use them on a daily basis to remove dirt from patios, walls, block paving and many other surfaces. Pressure washers are relatively cheap, you may even enjoy using your pressure washer to clean your paving.
Pressure washers can achieve great results and doing it yourself can save money which is important in the present financial climate we find ourselves in.
Using a pressure washer to clean paving does have its downsides, sometimes you can spend hours of your day cleaning and still not be happy with the end result, it may look patchy and it will not remove the black spotting on your patio stone.
Pressure washing can damage the jointing in between paving causing it to crack and come out of the joint making your patio in need of re grouting which can be expensive and a lot of work.
Patio cleaners are great if you can find a decent one, for example our product Shark Instant Clean is in our eyes the best product on the market. You simply apply and it will remove all green algae, black spot and all organic material growing on the surface in around 1 hour. Our product will also kill all moss and weeds in the joints of your paving. After 1 hour simply rinse.
Our products are biodegradable and pet and child safe once dry.
So whether you use a pressure washer or a patio cleaner product your paving will be clean.
In our experience to get the best clean is to use both methods and we will explain why.
Firstly use the pressure washer on a power setting that does not remove the jointing compound and simply get as much dirt and loose debris off as you can, don't worry if you miss bits and you can not remove algae and black spotting.
Then you can apply a patio cleaner for example Shark Instant Clean. What this product will do is remove all remaining dirt, algae and black spot leaving your patio looking new and restoring it to its original colour.
So to achieve the best results the combination of pressure washing and a patio cleaner is the answer.
Here is a great guide to help you decide the best method for you: How to clean your patio.