Sometimes, old-fashioned tools still perform best. Especially for smaller jobs, rakes and brooms are often faster and more efficient than leaf blowers, which are better suited for large-scale tasks. They are of course cheaper, quieter, and cleaner, as well, with virtually no maintenance.
Gas blowers are often overkill for the work that is required, and good alternatives exist for light cleaning and even for heavy leaf clearing. Use a broom or rake instead of a gas blower to eliminate massive pollution, dust and noise. They are more efficient tools than many people think.
if you're looking to remove leaves from your lawn without a leaf blower or rake, there are alternative methods. One effective approach is using a lawn mower with a bagging attachment. Simply mow over the leaves, and the mower will collect them in the attached bag.
Use an Electric Leaf Vacuum - catches and mulches leaves as they are sucked up; gives control over placement of leaves; eliminates exhaust and particulate air pollution problems; 50-70% quieter than gas blowers.
The high-decibel noise pollution of a gas-powered leaf blower is not just obnoxious and disruptive; it can actually cause tinnitus and hearing loss for the workers who use them (or anyone who is close to one for a full hour).
Toxic exhaust: More than 30% of a leaf blower's fuel/oil mixture gets emitted unburned as an aerosol that contains a host of toxins that can cause eye, skin and respiratory tract irritation, neurological effects, and has been linked to lymphoma, leukemia and other types of cancer.
In comparison, gas leaf blowers emit between 70-90 decibels of sound at the same condition, while the quietest electric leaf blowers on the market emit around 57-59 decibels.
Walk-behind leaf blowers (also called push blowers) are designed for the heavy-duty landscaping jobs. They have the power to clear leaves and debris.
But when you look more closely, electric is the clear winner. That's because while gas models as a group do well in a few important tests, on average, there are in each instance also at least a few electric leaf blowers that match or beat that performance.
Final Verdict. While the decision is ultimately up to you, if you're trying to be kind to the environment and the air you and others are breathing, rakes are a much better way to take care of your lawn.
A lawn mower is one of the best ways to clean up leaves on lawns. Why break your back raking when your trusty lawn mower can handle it? Just run over the leaves a couple of times, and your mower will chop them into little pieces, ready to be used as mulch or compost for the lawn.
Check Your Wet & Dry Vacuum's Leaf and Blow Capabilities
Additionally, check for a blow function, which is on all Nilfisk models. This setting allows you to switch easily between vacuuming up and blowing leaves to pile them up or direct them out of difficult areas.
The tip of the leaf blower should always be pointing down. This way air is concentrated into a smaller area, providing you with more blowing control and precision. A shallow angle moves the leaves forward instead of up. Keeping the blower close to the ground also prevents dust from being blown upwards.
For managing large property, absolutely. As long as we play sports outside near falling leaves we need leaf blowers for safety. Good luck clearing leaves off a baseball or a football field with a rake, it would probably take an entire weekend of labor instead of a couple of hours.
The second train of thought is that mowing should be done last, after trimming and blowing. This method ensures that all the clippings/dirt that is tossed onto roads/sidewalks are picked up in the grass catcher of the mower and not laid out on the lawn.
Children MUST not operate a leaf blower. Do not operate while standing on a ladder, rooftop, tree, or other unstable surface. Use nozzle attachments to reach high places. Do not use a leaf blower if you are tired or sick, taking medication, or if you have used drugs or alcohol.
As anyone who has ever used a leaf blower can attest, their 200-mile-an-hour winds also spin up clouds of dust. That dust can contain pollen, mold, animal feces, heavy metals, and chemicals from herbicides and pesticides, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation.
Leaf blowers aren't just noisy — they're also huge climate polluters. Gas-powered lawn equipment like leaf blowers and lawn mowers pollute a lot more than you might think.
High CFM: If you need to clear large areas with a lot of leaves and debris, a leaf blower with a high CFM is more efficient. It will move more at once, saving you time and effort. High MPH: A high MPH leaf blower is your best bet if you're dealing with wet leaves or stubborn debris.
Electric leaf blowers are easy to use and better for the environment. They come in two types: corded and cordless. Corded blowers provide steady power, perfect for small yards, while cordless models use rechargeable batteries, offering greater mobility for larger areas without easy access to power.
The average leaf blower costs between $90 and $390, depending on whether it's gas, electric, or battery-powered. Leaf blowers cost $250 on average. Gas leaf blowers have the highest average at $390, while corded models have the lowest average at $90.
While all of the other leaf blowers we tested hit decibel levels nearing 100dB, the Ryobi blower was the quietest, ringing in at a more moderate 81.5dB.