How To Rake Leaves 16 Hacks And Tips To Make Cleanup Easy

It can be difficult to rake a yard without bending over and staring down since that may feel like the intuitive thing to do. Do your best to keep your head up!

Rotating your hips while raking can irritate your lower back and the nerves in your legs. Bend your knees a little to give yourself a more stable base.

Walk as you sweep the leaves to change where you’re raking instead of reaching out with your arms. Small strokes will keep your arms from tiring out and getting sore. This will also minimize the amount of strain you’re putting on your shoulders and back.

If you compost, you can transfer the leaves to your compost pile and let them break down naturally over time. {“smallUrl”:“https://www. wikihow. com/images/thumb/7/74/Rake-Leaves-Step-4Bullet1. jpg/v4-460px-Rake-Leaves-Step-4Bullet1. jpg”,“bigUrl”:"/images/thumb/7/74/Rake-Leaves-Step-4Bullet1. jpg/v4-728px-Rake-Leaves-Step-4Bullet1. jpg",“smallWidth”:460,“smallHeight”:345,“bigWidth”:728,“bigHeight”:546,“licensing”:"<div class="mw-parser-output">

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You might touch your toes, do some arm circles, lean into side stretches, and pull your arms against your chest for a quick, simple stretching session.

Fighting the wind or gravity is never going to be a winning strategy. Let nature be your guide!

Many cities will only pick up bags of leaves in the mid or late fall. If your city has a specific pickup date, rake your leaves then. Usually, cities will offer leaf pickup alongside regular garbage pickup.

Leaves aren’t going to do any harm. Regardless of where they end up, they’ll just break down over time. It can take anywhere from 3-6 months for leaves to break down depending on where you live and what the climate is like. The other good reason to leave the leaves is that they can help the insects and animals in your yard! All kinds of critters eat leaves, hide under them, or use them for nest materials.

If the leaf cover is so thick that you can’t even see the grass, you’re best off mowing the lawn just so that your grass can get some sunlight.

If possible, get an electric leaf blower. The gas-powered options are more powerful, but they’re not super great for the environment and they tend to be incredibly loud. Check your local laws before you use a leaf blower. They’re illegal in some cities because of the noise and pollution. [14] X Trustworthy Source National Audubon Society Nonprofit environmental organization focused on conservation, citizen science, and public science education Go to source

Look for a rake labelled “no-clog. ” These rakes are designed to not catch the leaves on the tines, which will make it a lot easier to sweep the leaves into neater piles. There is absolutely nothing wrong with use a cheaper plastic rake if you have a smaller yard.

You’ll also want to wear gloves when you pick the leaves up. There can be all kinds of bugs, dirt, and gunk hiding in piles of leaves.