How to Clean Up the Fall Leaves in Your Yard

Cleaning the fall leaves out of the yard is a yearly chore that few people look forward to. The easiest method is to hire your kids to do it, or if you don't have kids, hire a local teenager. However, if you are like many people, you will take on the task of clearing the leaves out of your yard yourself. Here are some ways that you can get those leaves cleaned up.

Instructions

1. If you don't have very many leaves, run over them a few times with your lawn mower to shred them, and leave them on your lawn to decompose. This only works if you have a few leaves. If you have a lot of leaves, they will smother and kill the lawn before they have time to decompose. If your lawnmower has a grass collection bag, you can use this to collect the shredded leaves as you mow over them, instead of letting them stay on the lawn.

2. If you have a lot of leaves, one option is to use a mulching yard vacuum. This handy piece of equipment is pushed around your yard like a lawnmower and will devour anything in its path. It can handle large volumes of leaves and will even shred pinecones and small sticks. It also has a detachable nozzle to reach into corners and around bushes. It makes cleaning leaves out of your yard so easy that it is almost fun. The shredded material is collected in a bag that can then be dumped in a designated spot or put into a garbage bag and placed on the curb. A mulching yard vacuum is expensive, but it just might be worth it if you have many trees or a large yard. A mulching yard vacuum works best on dry leaves but it can also pick up wet leaves.

3. You can use a leaf blower to blow the leaves into a pile and then scoop the leaves into a lawn bag. If your leaf blower is also a mulching vacuum, then you can use it to pick up the leaves as well. It is hard to rid your yard completely of leaves with a leaf blower, but used along with either a mulching yard vacuum or a rake, you can get most of them. For best results, use your leaf blower on a dry day with very little wind. A leaf blower does not work well on wet leaves and leaves that have been sitting for a long time.

4. And of course, you can use the good old fashioned rake. This tool is the least expensive and most thorough of all the leaf clean up tools. However, it is also the most labor intensive. Use a good quality, wide rake to cut down on raking time. You can even buy a rake that is designed to be clog free so that you don't have to keep pulling stuck leaves out of the rake tines. Make it easier on yourself by enlisting others to help and taking frequent breaks. Switch sides and positions often to avoid overtaxing your muscles. Be careful when you lift heavy piles of leaves so that you don't hurt your back. Raking fall leaves is a vigorous workout so make sure that you stretch before and afterwards.

5. When choosing the method you want to use to clean the leaves out of your yard, consider how much time you have, your physical ability and the money you want to put into the tools. With some yards, you may have to use a combination of methods to get everything cleaned up. However you choose to clean up your fall leaves, celebrate a job well done by fixing a cup of your favorite hot cocoa and admiring your beautiful, clean yard.

Resources

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