I got fed up wasting time using a weed whacker to remove weeds, so I tried an electric pressure washer instead — here's what happened
I've been a first-time homeowner for two and a half years now and one thing I've learned in that time is that weeds are annoying. Like really, they're relentless and take up a lot of my time during the weekends — especially with the pavers on my driveway that can easily be inundated by them.
For the past two summers, I've been using my Greenworks weed whacker to whittle away at those stubborn weeds around my pavers. All of my effort has been futile. I finally got fed up using my weed whacker and decided to try an electric pressure washer. Here's what happened.
You'll find several handy uses with the Stihl REA 100 Plus electric pressure washer, which features a maximum pressure of 2,200 psi. It comes with a hose attachment, 19.5-foot hose length, and a battery pack to let you pressure wash just about anywhere thanks to its all-electric power.Price check: $649 @ Ace Hardware
Having watched so many gardening hacks and videos on TikTok and Instagram, I know how well some of them could be at my weed problem at home — like the time I tried the viral Grampa's Weeder. For my pavers though, I tried out the Stihl REA 100 Plus electric pressure washer to see how effective it is over using my weed whacker.
After making sure the battery pack was charged, I connected the 3-in-1 nozzle and built-in detergent hose to the reel, which neatly is rolled up inside of the unit and offers 19.5 feet of length. On the other end, I connected my water supply hose line for continuous use.
It took me a few tries and switching through all the nozzle spray options to figure out what was most effective at removing stuck-on weeds in between my pavers, but once I figured it out, I was impressed at how effortlessly it blasted them away. Some of the deeper-rooted weeds that often came back when I used my weed whacker were no match this time against the Stihl REA 100 Plus.
That's because this all-electric pressure washer delivers a maximum pressure of 2,200 psi, which allows the water stream to penetrate deeper into the areas in between the pavers. Normally it would take me about 30 minutes to carefully go through the same small patch of pavers with my weed whacker, but the Stihl REA 100 Plus' intensive stream does it half the time.
However, there were still some weeds that survived the first pass — but they appeared to be dying the following day. Trying to get the same results would've taken me much longer with my weed whacker, as well as going through more string trimmer lines. Overall, I'm surprised by how much quicker it is to use a pressure washer for removing weeds in between pavers.
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In the subsequent weeks, I found other uses with the Stihl REA 100 Plus. I've actually used to clean off the sides of my Traeger wood pellet grill and also the siding around my home. There's also another set of pavers closer to my garage that are covered in moss, but the Stihl REA 100 Plus made it way easier to blast them off. I've tried countless times with my weed whacker, but found it ineffective and time-intensive.
And finally, I really like how it's compact and portable to carry around all around my property for all sorts of jobs. Due to its battery power, it's also extremely quiet to operate. For those that need to use it elsewhere without access to a water hose line, I really love how I can connect it to a water tank or bucket to supply it with water — making it much more travel friendly that a traditional gas-powered pressure washer.
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She recommends that parents simply ask their children why they want a smartphone: 'Do they want to be able to communicate with friends? Do they want to play a certain game? Think about what the goals are and then work from there.' The landline solution isn't perfect. Morse told me that when the house phone rings while they're watching a movie, it can be annoying; you can't silence a landline as easily as you can a smartphone. Occasionally, the phone makes a buzzing sound; her daughters have learned to smack it against the table—once, hard—to make it stop. And most of the parents I spoke with acknowledged that, eventually, they would probably get their children a smartphone; they were just trying to postpone that development as long as possible. (Hull is the one holdout I spoke with who thinks her daughter might never need a smartphone while under her roof.) For now, Morse and Masterson are considering limited-function smartwatches as their eldest children head to middle school and begin venturing out more on their own. Masterson wants to get her son a device with only call and text capabilities, so he can arrange rides and activities after school. Morse likes the idea of getting a watch that also has GPS, so she can track her daughter's location. When the time does come for a smartphone—if it comes—the parents hope their children will be better prepared to handle one responsibly. They'll be older and more emotionally mature, and will have passed the age at which experts say a child's brain is particularly vulnerable to the addictive qualities of smartphones. They'll also have communication skills, honed by landline, that could come in handy. After years of practice, they might be quicker to call someone instead of sending a text or leaving a social-media comment, leading to a potentially stronger connection with that person. After all, a smartphone's most basic feature—and, I would argue, its best—is one it shares with a landline: the ability to call a friend and talk.
