Leaves, though charming when they fall, can become annoying very quickly. A thick layer of leaves can smother the grass beneath, preventing sunlight, water, and nutrients from reaching the soil. To ensure that your grass remains lush and green you’ll need to remove those leaves as soon as possible with the best leaf removal tools. By promptly removing leaves, you’ll ensure that your grass remains lush and green, ready to greet the next spring with vitality.
Yes, those picturesque leaves may look inviting for an afternoon of play, but they can also cause a slipping hazard, end up inducing fungi in your yard, or creating a cozy habit for bugs. You don’t want that. You want a clean, fresh yard that glistens in the sun, inviting admiration from your neighbors and passing cars.
Leaf removal tools play a crucial role in maintaining a tidy and healthy outdoor environment during the fall season. These tools, such as rakes, leaf blowers, and mulchers, make the process of leaf removal efficient, ensuring a tidy yard, reducing the risk of accidents, and helping to preserve the health of the lawn by preventing mold and thatch formation.
But how do you remove leaves from your lawn without overexerting yourself? StudyFinds has reviewed expert reviews on the best leaf removal tools and created this list for you to reach your lawn care goals. What do you use when the leaves begin to fall? Leave a comment to let us know.
The List: Best Leaf Removal Tools, According to Experts
1. Leaf Rake
Sometimes the most simple answer is the best answer. “A leaf rake will get those leaves out of your yard and twigs, and grass clippings, and anything else, but raking is back-straining work,” shares Lawn Love. “To make raking easier, choose a rake with an ergonomic handle and a lightweight design. If your leaf rake isn’t comfortable to hold and to use, it will increase the strain on your shoulders and back, making leaf removal much harder than it needs to be. Choose a leaf rake with a wide end. The wider your rake, the more leaves you can pick up with every sweep.”
Although a lawn rake is a simple tool, the best fit for the job depends on your end goal. A reviewer from Naturalist explains, “It may sound like a no-brainer, but you cannot use a regular garden or lawn rake to rake leaves. Standard garden/lawn rakes have stiff tines designed to dig into the soil. When raking your lawn for fall leaves, you do not need to do that. Here, it would help if you had something with softer tines so that you could gently rake the leaves off the surface of the grass. And that is where specialized leaf rakes with curved tines come in.”
All tools are not made equal. A reviewer from Tool Lever advises, “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 course your energy. Bamboo leaf rakes are ideal for smaller raking tasks whereas steel leaf rakes are suitable for intense raking.”
2. Leaf Blower
Why rake leaves when you can pretend you are a superhero and blast them with wind? “Nothing says autumn like the dulcet tones of leaf blowers whining away in the suburbs. Personally, I’ve found handheld leaf blowers to be only marginally more effective than raking, but they are helpful in getting leaves out of hard-to-reach spaces,” shares a reviewer from Toms Guide.
The novice lawn caretaker can be seen using a rake to maintain their leaves, but using a leaf blower shows maturity. “Leaf blowers are one of the most versatile landscaping tools you can buy. Homeowners and landscapers use them for dozens of tasks, including leaf removal and yard cleanup. In general, leaf blowers are easy to use — and in many cases extremely noisy,” according to Lawn Love.
Leaf blowers triumph over all other methods of leaf collection. “Leaf blowers are particularly useful if your community offers bagless curbside collection for leaves. In that case, you can blow the leaves onto the curb of your street and let the sweeper deal with them.” writes Lawn Chick.
3. Leaf Tarp
You must be serious about finding the best tools to pick up leaves from your yard if you’re reading this post so kudos to you! Third on our list of best tips for making your lawn care easier is going to make you say, “Why didn’t I think of that?” House Logic advises, “Instead of scooping leaves into a million plastic bags, rake or blow them into a big pile on top of a polypropylene leaf tarp. Then drag the tarp to the curb and dump.”
Family Handyman says to be sure not to buy just any old tarp. “You may prefer to blow/rake your leaves onto a leaf tarp (a tarp with reinforced handles for easier handling), which you can then fold up and drag away. It’s a reusable and convenient way to move and dispose of large leaf piles. It is also a great solution if you prefer not to use bags.”
Be sure to create an action plan to reduce even more lawncare stress. “Try raking the leaves from one area of your lawn onto the tarp until it’s full,” adds Lawn Love. “Once full, gently grab each edge to close the tarp and drag it wherever you’re disposing of your leaves.”
4. Mulching Mower
It’s the transition of seasons and Lawn Love has the perfect advice: “If your lawn mower has a grass catcher, fall is the time to unhook it. If you have a mulching lawn mower, even better.”
A review from Family Handyman explains why this is beneficial, “If your mower is equipped with a simple mulching blade and your lawn is covered in leaves, think about a mulching session before the final cleanup. Your lawnmower can shred the leaves ahead of time for fast disposable or use in your garden. It’s the best of both worlds.”
A mulching mower is a simple remedy for fallen leaves. According to Prudent Reviews, “If you have a scattering of leaves on your lawn, but it’s not entirely covered, the easiest way to clear them is to mulch them with your lawn mower. Insert the mulch plug and close the side port that is used to discharge grass clippings. As you push the mower over the leaves, its blades will chop the leaves into tiny pieces.”
Why is mulching leaves actually healthy for your lawn? Lawn Love explains, “It’s interesting how mulched leaves help lawns as the clippings go through their natural life cycle. Leaf bits will begin to settle into the soil and microorganisms will start the decomposition process. This composts the leaf clippings into exceptional food for your lawn, making fallen leaves a valuable (yet often overlooked) resource for your yard.”
5. Lawn Sweeper
You will retire your rake when you realize that there’s a much better man powered tool for your lawn care. According to a review from Toms Guide, “We had one of these when I was a kid, and it was a game-changer — it cut the time to clean up the yard in half. Basically, this device has four sets of plastic bristles that spin as you push the contraption around the yard. The leaves are swept into a large hopper. And, because the person pushing the sweeper provides all the power, it’s as quiet as using a rake, so you won’t tick off your neighbors. The only downside is that the leaves aren’t mulched, so you’ll have to dispose of them yourself. If you’re looking for an efficient, human-powered way to pick up leaves, a lawn sweeper may be your best option.”
“The Lawn Sweeper holds almost twice as much as a conventional bagger, allowing you to clear the lawn quickly and easily. A patented offset hitch lets you sweep and mow at the same time. Plus, it collapses for easy storage,” advises an expert reviewer from Bob Vila.
Although a lawn sweeper is more expensive, it is a lot less manual labor than most other methods for removing leaves from your lawn. According to a review from Lawn Chick, “These do all the work of cleaning leaves and debris from your grass in one fell swoop. You can buy one to tow behind your riding mower.”
If a big pile of leaves was standing in between you and a relaxing day at home, how would you conquer it? Leave a comment and let us know!
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Sources:
- Lawn Chick
- Bob Vila
- Toms Guide
- Lawn Love
- Prudent Reviews
- Family Handyman
- House Logic
- Lawn Chick
- Tool Lever
- Naturalist
Note: This article was not paid for nor sponsored. StudyFinds is not connected to nor partnered with any of the brands mentioned and receives no compensation for its recommendations.