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Fall, also known as autumn, is one of the four seasons of the year. It marks the transition from summer to winter. Among the many features and characteristics of the Fall season is the shedding of leaves by deciduous trees. The leaves beautify the ground but when they dry up they create an unpleasant sight. Furthermore, when combined with other yard waste and water, the dry leaves decompose leaving behind a foul smell in your yard or lawn. Moreover, heaps of dry leaves and yard waste also act as hiding places for rodents and lizards. They also make it hard to trace small tools such as drill bits when they fall to the ground. This is where leaf removal tools come in handy.
What’s the leaf removal cost?
Although you can outsource a leaf removal job to a leaf removal service company near you, I find it more economical to do it yourself. In the U.S., leaf removal cost is estimated to range between $50 and $850 when done by a professional leaf removal services company. When you choose to remove the leaves yourself, you would save that money and use it to buy a bunch of leaf removal tools. These tools will serve you many seasons and save you a lot of money in the long run. You will also get other benefits for cleaning the yard yourself, some of which are psychological.
Benefits of leaf removal
Besides saving money and acquiring good leaf removal equipment, I find the removal of leaves from the yard by myself a good way to pass time. Sometimes it feels like a recreational activity because it helps to break the boredom of staying inside the garage or indoors. If you have kids, teaching them to remove leaves from the yard is such a great life skill you can pass to them and they will remember you for that. In fact, some of the leaf removal equipment you will come across are designed with kids in mind. While you will find like a million tools out there for removing leaves from your yard, in this article I will focus on just the five most important leaf removal tools. These tools will help you to effectively restore the exquisite green look of your lawn or yard.
1. Leaf Blower
When the Fall leaves and foliage start to dry up, the once beautiful sight of the lawn begins to fade away slowly. This marks the end of Fall. The wind also starts to blow the dry leaves all over covering the entire lawn, paths, and walkways. This is when a leaf blower becomes necessary. A leaf blower is a leaf removal tool that works by sucking in air and releasing it a high pressure through the blower tube to blow away leaves and debris.It is a good leaf removal equipment light cover of dry leaves and debris.
Leaf blowers are either electric or gasoline-powered. Both types, however, are mobile so that you can carry anywhere you want to blow leaves. For electric leaf blowers, there are corded and cordless types. The corded leaf blower requires a power supply cord that is long enough to reach the area you want to remove leaves. On the other hand, cordless leaf blowers are the most mobile and lightest of all leaf blowers. There is no limitation to the distance you can travel blowing leaves. You only need to recharge the battery when it runs low. For gas-powered blowers, you will need to ensure that you the right mix of petrol and oil.You also have to ensure that you have appropriate PPE including a respirator to protect you from hazardous exhaust emissions. A few factors to consider when getting a leaf blower, however, are 1) Size of your lawn, 2)The anticipated amount of leaf cover, 3) cost of leaf blower, 4)personal preference.
Leaf blowers, like other power tools, poses a safety risk during operation. As such, always remember to read the instructor’s manual and avoid operating the leaves tool under the influence of any drug. Furthermore, put on earplugs to protect your ears from the noise produced when blowing leaves. Also, ensure that you remove any debris such as rocks that might inhibit the effective blowing of leaves.
2. Leaf Rake
When there are layers of leaves and debris on your lawn or walkway, you can use a leaf rake to remove them. Leaf rakes are fan-like shaped leaf removal tools with springy tines radiating outwards. They are flat and light so that you can use little energy to pull leaves with them. The tines of a leaf rake are strong and well-spaced to drag leaves without damaging the grass or soil profile. Lawn rakes are made of different materials. You can choose between steel, bamboo, or polypropylene rakes. Although metal leaf rakes are more sturdy, they are generally heavier than bamboo and polypropylene and they rust over time. Polypropylene and bamboo rakes are however more prone to breaking although they are less compared to metal rakes. The choice of the best type of leaf rake for your raking chores depends primarily on the size of your lawn and the number of leaves you expect to gather and of the course your energy. Bamboo leaf rakes are ideal for smaller raking tasks whereas steel leaf rakes are suitable for intense raking.How to use a leaf rake: Among other leaf removal tools, a leaf rake is the easiest to use. The first thing you do is inspect the rake to ensure that it is in good working order. Next, place the tines on the ground and apply some light downward force. Then drag the rake towards you to gather leaves and debris into a heap. Keep on doing that to create several heaps or piles of leaves. Use a pair of scoops to transfer the leaves into a trash can, trash bag, or garden cart. Alternatively, if you have two rakes you can hold them side by side and use them to grab the leaves as if they were salad tongs.
3. Leaf Scoops
Grabbing fall leaves with your hands put you at risk of hurting your fingers. The task also leaves your hands looking filthy. Moreover, transferring huge piles of leaves to the trash can with bare hands in not effective. This is where leaf scoops come in handy. Leaf scoops or leaf grabbers are large, oversized garden claws designed for scooping leaves, grass clippings, and other lawn debris.
There are many different types of leaf scoops but these two are the most common. The first type is scoops that have a smooth folded edge resembling bear claws. Another name for these scoops is bear claw leaf scoops. The second major type of scoops is the toothed-edge scoops. These scoops have pronged edges. You can use them to not only grab leaves but also scrape and rake leaves and debris lightly. Despite their different designs, leaf scoops make light the work of collecting leaves from the lawn and yard. Leaf scoops are also fun leaf removal tools for kids. Your kids will enjoy using them to assist you to complete the lawn cleaning chores.
How to use leaf scoops: Using hand leaf scoops is very easy. Even kids can use them without any problem. All you need to do is slide your hands through the handles and start working.
4. Garden cart/wheelbarrow
After raking the leaves to one place in your yard, you need to transport the heap to your preferred place of disposal, lest the wind blows the leaves back into the yard. This is where a garden cart or wheelbarrow comes into use. A garden cart is a hand-propelled vehicle with two or more wheels and a handle that operates by either pulling or pushing without lifting. It is used to carry items in the garden. A wheelbarrow, on the other hand, is similar to a garden cart except that it has only one wheel and needs to be lifted off the ground on one side so that it can move. It is also used to move items in the garden especially where the garden paths are narrow. Garden carts are more efficient than wheelbarrows and hence highly preferred for carrying leaves in the yard. They are also more stable and require less effort as no lifting is required compared to wheelbarrows. Garden carts also are time efficient since they carry more loads than wheelbarrows and that means you will take less time in clearing the heaps of leaves on your lawn. The various types of garden carts include utility wagons, flatbeds, dump carts, and foldable carts.
5. Leaf Shredder
After raking leaves together, you end up with huge piles. These piles of leaves can become breeding ground for rodents. The leaf piles may also choke and suppress grass on your lawn or yard leaving behind decolored patches. If you choose to transfer the unshredded leaves into plastic bags or paper bags, they may use up a lot of bags, which is bad for mother nature. This is why a leaf shredder is one of the greatest leaf removal tools you must have.
A leaf shredder is a leaf removal tool for shredding leaves into small pieces.It is also known as a leaf mulcher because it converts piles of leaves, twigs, and other yard waste into organic mulch or compost if you like. The mulch is rich in vitamins and is good for replenishing nutrients in the soil of your garden or flower bed.
Leaf shredders/mulchers are of different types. Nevertheless, they are all based on the same concept of shredding or cutting leaves and yard debris into small manageable pieces that can be easily transported and decomposed. Shredded leaves are easy to compact and transport in fewer bags that you would if they where whole leaves. For example, there is a leaf mulcher that can reduce 11 bags of dry leaves into one bag. Leaf shredders can expose you to potential hazards such as leaf dust, flying debris, and the risk of being cut by the cutting blades. Accordingly, you should put on eye protection, a dust mask, and a pair of gloves. An eye protection equipment protects your eyes from flying debris while a dust mask prevents you from inhaling the dust produced from shredding leaves.When using a leaf mulcher, you will also need a bag to put the shredded leaves so that you can easily transport to your preferred location. The best place to dispose of shredded dry leaves is your farm or garden. Leaf mulch is also good for your flowers.
Although there are several other useful tools for performing yard cleaning chores, these 5 tools are enough to restore the lost glory of your lawn or yard. They are inexpensive and easy to use. Needless to say, these leaves tools turn the yard cleaning job into a fun activity. Even your kids will like it, especially collecting leaves with leaf scoops.
