A property surrounded with leafy trees is attractive, but not when leaves fall and litter your fields. All your free time and weekends are changed into chore-days trying to rake them. Many fallen leaves in your garden may harbor burrowing pests, particularly when fall and winter approaches. Removing fallen leaves from your yard is a tiresome and unavoidable chore.
However, it doesn’t have to be so. You can use these tips to make the cleaning task a breeze.
Rake With The Wind
The wind can either help you rake leaves faster or make your job harder. To take the wind to your advantage, identify the direction of the wind and rake towards that direction. The wind gusts will move the leaves faster for you without having to do much. But if you rake against the wind, the wind gusts will blow the leaves back to the direction you have already cleaned, which will only make your job more difficult.
Rake Downhill if Possible
Although leaves are very light, they are pulled by gravity. When raking in a downward direction, the leaves will be moving faster, making your job even easier. Raking uphill will make your job more daunting as you will be working against the gravitational pull.
Using a Tarp
Since leaves are light, it’s more efficient to transport them when they are quite a bundle rather than bending over and over again to collect and transport small bundles. In this case, using a tarp can be safer and efficient. Rake the leaves into the tarp and then pull it to where you want to dispose them.
Rake in Rows
Raking all the leaves randomly into the center of the field before collecting them will add to your task as you will have to move back and forth a lot. You can make your task easier by dividing your yard into quadrants, and then raking leaves in each quadrant into a row from one end to another. This will simplify your work, and you will end up with a clean yard.
Buy a Yard Vacuum
You can make the raking task even more effortless by buying a yard vacuum with an in-built shredder. The yard vacuum sucks the leaves and minces them, enabling you to collect more leaves in a few bags. Yard vacuum is even advantageous in collecting leaves in less accessible areas, such as between slabs under rocks and in bushes.
Mow Instead of Raking
In seasons when there are few leaves on the ground, and the grass needs some mowing, you can use a mulching lawnmower to mow the leaves on the grass. In this way, you will save yourself the raking time, and the mowed leaves will add mulch and nutrients to your yard.
Use the Right Rake
The rake you use will determine your raking posture. The right rake should help you maintain the correct posture while working with it. Maintaining a good posture while raking will make your work easy and efficient. A poor posture will make your back hurt after a short time of raking, which will hinder you from continuing with your work. To reduce the risk of backaches every time you rake, you can choose the right rake that will enable you to do your job efficiently. You can learn more about the best leaf rakes on the leaf rake review on Yardsurfer.
Wear Dust Mask and Groves
Leaves that are fallen may contain airborne particles that may affect you if you are allergic. If you are new to the job, you can wear gloves before raking to avoid blisters. The gloves and masks should not be tight but should fit well to help you efficiently.
