Relaying garden path and re-using pebbles

[freeliving]

I have uncovered a pebble path in the garden of my new house. It doesnt have any plastic, or sand to stop weeds growing up through it, so I intend to take up the pebbles and put down a plastic layer (that lets water through) and put the pebbles back. The pebbles are surrounded by a good amount of soil, sand and bits of organic matter, so if I put them back down like that, weeds will grow again. Any ideas on how to clean them? I have just spent 2 hours with a sieve and a large bucket of water, and did about a foots worth of path, to only half the depth that I need. There's about 120 feet altogether, so unless I hire a horde of gold prospectors from the 1800s, I may still be in the back garden next summer, still sieving.
Any bright ideas out there? I dont want to take it all up and buy new stones, there's a recession on....

 

[skingtile]

hire or borrow a power washer, it will wash and churn them all over the place