How To Get Rid Of Leaves?

In the past it may have been quick and easy to burn leaves, especially if you had an open space and a calm day to accomplish this task. Some communities still allow residents to burn their leaves during autumn, though there are some restrictions on time of day and on places where leaves can be placed for burning.

In the last couple of decades, more and more people have stopped burning leaves. Many made the move to bagging leaves after raking them then transporting the bags of leaves to a local collection site or compost site. This is a great idea if your property isn’t too large and you don’t have dozens of trees. In this latter case you might spend days upon days picking up all the leaves.

What Should I Do?
Set your mind to the fact that it is going to take some effort to get rid of the leaves that fall from trees onto your property. Get a good metal rake that will clean the yard one “swipe” at a time. (Plastic and bamboo will break eventually and you’ll have to spend some money to get another one.)

Rake the leaves into medium-size piles a few feet apart so that you don’t spend all of your time walking to the leaf-covered area and dragging leaves back to one large pile. Newer rake designs take into account the need for shaped handles and wide, flexible heads. If you can find one that has a handle diameter that fits your hands you will avoid discomfort after a day of raking. Try to get a rake that has a width of about 24 inches at the far end.

If you can’t perform this physical labor yourself or simply don’t want to, hire someone to come and rake the yard for you. Give him or her a few general directions about what you want to accomplish then get out of the way. Make sure you provide a good rake, good bags or collection containers and other equipment that may be needed.

If you rake your leaves and pile them in one place for burning or composting on your property, you may want to get a deep wheelbarrow for taking the leaves to the spot you want to dump them. This will save you time as you won’t have to bag them or box them then dump them in smaller amounts.

Power to the Leaves
Some people prefer to use a gasoline-powered or electric-powered leaf blower. These can be used to move leaves into larger, loose piles for picking up or burning. You may also want to use a leaf blower to remove a few leaves from sidewalks, decks and porches.

Burning leaves and moving them with leaf blowers can both be problems for family members and neighbors. Raking and bagging might take a bit longer but usually results in a much cleaner finished property. Composting is a great idea if it is done properly. When it comes to getting rid of leaves, there are several good options.

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