Leaf Removal Guide

How people decide to go about leaf removal as part of their fall clean up, is as varied of a choice as the size, shape and types of leaves that blanket people’s yards.

Knowing the best way to get rid of leaves for your situation is very important, as each comes with a cost, whether it be money or time.

These are your leaf removal options:

• Employ a professional leaf removal service.

A majority of leaf removal services are fast and efficient. In case you happen to be concerned about having the time to do the job, you may want to think about employing a leaf removal service. These come in 2 forms:

• A truck comes by and uses a giant industrial vacuum to remove the leaf piles along the curb, that you have put there. This service is a more economical choice, and in some cities it is paid for by tax dollars.
• A full leaf removal service will involve a team of people, usually landscapers in the off season, to gather the leaves around your yard and take them away, they may also offer other services such as spraying liquid lawn fertilizer. You can also use this service for brush removal as part of your fall clean up plans.

Using a professional leaf removal service is often expensive. If you have limited time, this is a good option for you, but should you have limited funds this option is not the best choice. In addition, should more leaves fall, you may have to employ them over and over.

 

 

 

• Mulching lawn mower attachment

A mulching accessory for your lawn mower is a handy piece of leaf removal equipment. This is going to break the leaves into very tiny bits, and put them into leaf bags, that you may mix into your compost pile or use as mulch in the future.

These attachments work with riding and push mowers, but can get quite expensive. The nice part is, if you mow your grass as part of your fall clean up, it takes no additional time, just a one-time investment in the leaf removal equipment.

• Leaf Vacuums

You can also find leaf vacuums which will get the task of leaf removal done nicely. These kinds of leaf vacuums suck the leaves up in a breeze, and are packed in a leaf bag which is quite easily thrown away, or mixed into a compost heap.

Leaf vacuums can either be a push style like a lawn mower, or a hand help unit.

• Push style leaf vacuums: these are larger units, with a large leaf bag on the back, usually electric, but gas models are available as well.
• Hand held leaf vacuums: these are small electric units, about the size of a leaf blower, but with a leaf collection bag on them. They typically come with multiple tip attachments, for getting into hard to reach places.

Check out our Review of the Agri-Fab Push Lawn Sweeper if interested in a push style leaf vacuum.

Leaf vacuums are not as pricey as a leaf removal service, and handheld units are often cheaper than mulching lawn mower attachments, but they add a bit of time to your fall clean up.

• Leaf Blower

A leaf blower is another piece of leaf removal equipment you can use during fall clean up, with the difference being that instead of removing the leaves they just blow them away. This is likely to be an issue in the event that they end up in a neighbor’s yard or maybe throughout the street. People typically employ these in an effort to keep walkways and other paths free of leaves.

If your town offers a leaf removal service like the above curbside vacuum, a leaf blower is a simple way to get them collected at the curb.

Leaf blowers come in 3 styles:

• Small handheld unit
• Backpack style unit
• Push unit

Each unit has pros and cons, but a small handheld unit can be purchased for around $50, and is an easy leaf collection method.

• Lawn Rake

A lawn rake is the most classic piece of leaf removal equipment. It takes an investment of time, but the cost is minimal.

There is nothing special about a rake, a basic multi tined unit will gather the leaves up, at which point you can decide to put them into leaf bags to be thrown away, gathered into a pile to burn (check your local laws first), pile them up for your towns curbside leaf collection service (if your town has it) or gather them into your home’s compost pile.

If you have kids or a neighborhood with lots of kids, give them a lawn rake and let them start their own leaf removal service.

Consider the process that will make the most sense for you in your fall clean up plans, do you have more time or money to invest in leaf removal. The most cost effective choice is always to rake the leaves, where as the least time intensive choice is to employ a professional leaf removal service. It is important to clear leaves from your lawn so as to not stop the grass growing, which can result in burnt patches of ground.