Do you dread raking leaves each year? It’s a labor-intensive and time-consuming chore, and it can feel never-ending. It seems like as soon as you clear your lawn of leaves, more fall, and you’re back at it again. And to make matters worse, you can end up nursing sore muscles for days after you finish. While it’s been challenging and painful in the past, it’ll be easy and pain-free this year if you follow these raking tips.
Let Your Mower Do Some of the Work
Does your lawnmower have a bag to collect clippings? If so, you can use it to make your job easier this year. As long as your grass is still growing, you can mow over the leaves. Then they’ll go right into the bag, so you won’t have to worry about raking them.
Take the Path of Least Resistance
You can get quite the workout when raking leaves. Fortunately, you can use a bit less energy by raking with the wind. Then the wind will give the leaves a little push toward your pile.
Also, rake downhill if possible. Then gravity will handle some of the work, so you won’t have to go all out to finish the job.
Pull the Leaves Toward You
Make sure that you pull the leaves toward you when raking. As you do this, engage your abdominal muscles and avoid twisting and turning. This will protect your back, so you’ll be less likely to suffer from strains or sprains.
Use a Tarp
You can fly through this task by raking the leaves onto a tarp. You can pull the tarp with you as you move around your yard. Then you can take the tarp to the dumping spot or transfer the leaves into a trash bag when you finish. This is so much easier than filling a bag or wheelbarrow as you go. When you do that, you have to bend down to pick up leaves every few minutes. That’s a lot of bending over, which can be hard on your back. Plus, it takes so much longer.
Divide and Conquer
It’s easy to overexert yourself when tackling this chore, so break your lawn up into sections. Then do a section, take a break, and move on to the next. By taking breaks, you won’t get nearly as tired. Also, you’re less likely to pull a muscle or hurt your back if you do a section at a time.
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Keep the Pile Intact
If you get tired, you might need to go inside for a bit to rest. However, you’re probably afraid to leave the pile because the leaves might blow away. Fortunately, you can keep the pile intact by stomping on the leaves. Then they won’t blow away so that you can resume your work later.
If you use these tips, raking leaves will be a breeze this season. Then you can enjoy the fresh air and sunshine while raking the lawn.
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