When the fall season comes to visit, it’s always a certainty that leaves will come off the trees and go all over the place.
There are lots of interesting and creative ways to remove the leaves from your property without using a rake.
If you take some time to look into these methods, you will be able to pick up those pesky leaves with maximum efficiency and minimal effort!
Use a Leaf Blower
Leaf blowers definitely offer the fastest and most efficient means of removing leaves. There are lots of different models to choose from, so you should take the time to look over your options.
These devices have evolved quite a bit over the years to become the impressive and powerful tools they are today.
If you feel like buying one of these devices, you can check out my recommendations in this article.
If you are going to use a leaf blower to remove leaves from your property, you should follow these steps:
- Plan it out: First you will need to decide exactly where you want all of the leaves to go. This way you will know exactly where to blow all of them.
- Hold it properly: You will need to hold the leaf blower down to your side at all times, pointed at a downward angle. This is the most efficient way to use these devices.
- Move from one end to the other: It’s always a good idea to avoid going back and forth over your yard as much as possible when removing leaves. Make sure that you start at one end and work towards the other without going all over the place.
- Avoid tough areas: When you are removing leaves with a leaf blower, always make sure to avoid blowing them into tough areas like gutters, corners or drains. It can be very difficult to get the leaves out of these places.
Additionally, you can read this article for more tips.
Some cities in certain states have laws against gas-powered leaf blowers, so you will need to keep this in mind. It is always a good idea to look into this before buying a new blower or using the one you currently have.
I’ve written an article about said laws a while ago, you can read it here.
Pick them up with a Leaf Vacuum
Leaf vacuums can also offer a very effective and simple way to remove leaves. These devices suck the leaves up and mulch them into smaller pieces, then collect them into a bag.
One of the reasons that so many people use these vacuums is because they work fast and don’t create as much of a mess as some other methods.
It is important to note that on larger lawns they work best in combination with a leaf blower. First, you collect the leaves in piles using the blower, then you can just suck them into a bag with your leaf vacuum.
Some leaf blowers even have dual functionality – they can switch between the roles of a leaf blower and vacuum with the push of a button. This is a very useful feature to have!
One such leaf vacuum would be the BLACK+DECKER BV6000. It’s very affordable, and being multi functional makes it perfect for smaller yards. You can buy it on Amazon.
Check out this video to see how it performs:
Keep in mind, leaf vacuums by themselves aren’t the best option for removing large piles of leaves, but they can be of great help to those with smaller yards.
If you typically don’t have a ton of leaves to take care of, this can be a rather effective method.
A leaf vacuum can help to keep your patio, deck or porch areas clean and looking good. Overall, they are a great tool to have in your arsenal.
Mulch them up with a Lawn Mower
You can also use your lawn mower to mulch the leaves up, and there are a number of benefits to doing this.
Mulching your leaves with your mower can effectively prepare your lawn for winter, and it will save you a lot of hard work.
The first thing you need to do is check to see if your current lawn mower has the ability to mulch. If your mower has a bag and side discharge feature, you should be able to use this method without any issues.
You can see how this works in the video below.
Make sure that you run the mower over your lawn in clean sections so you can cover the previously discharged section from the last pass you made.
You can mow in circles, though some people find this a bit challenging (myself included).
If your grass is of normal height, you can feel free to just switch your mower over to the mulch function.
One of the best things about using this method is that you can just keep the mulched leaves on your lawn – it will serve as compost. This is one of the easiest ways to take care of your leaves come fall time.
Use a Flat Piece of Cardboard
Another creative way to remove leaves from your lawn is to take a flat, smooth piece of cardboard or other stiff material and use it to push the leaves towards the curb.
Simply bend down and angle the cardboard down so that it pushes the leaves as you go forward.
This can be a little harsh on your lower back, but it does work very well. It is also one of the cheaper options out there.
Check out the video below for a live demonstration.
Increase Your Performance with Scoops
Scoop or claw devices can also be very helpful for collecting large piles of leaves in your yard quickly and easily.
These devices are shaped like claws and will allow you to scoop up big piles of leaves without straining yourself or wasting a lot of time.
They are fairly cheap and you can find them at a lot of hardware stores as well as on the internet.
Check out this video below to see what I mean.
Final Thoughts
While it is true that there are lots of creative and effective ways to remove leaves on your property, using a leaf blower is almost always the best option.
Leaf blowers are convenient, powerful and can help you deal with a variety of debris without any hassle.
Just make sure you take enough time to see which ones are available before buying anything. It’s always a good idea to do your research, so you can get what you actually need.