Leaf blowers are great for lawn and garden cleanup, especially leaf removal.
Types of Leaf Blowers and Leaf Vacuums
Sweepers are available in gas, electric or cordless. They’re designed for decks, patios, sidewalks and driveways. Sweepers are also ideal for cleaning grass clippings and light debris.
Electric blowers are recommended for smaller areas. They're lighter, quieter and often operate at higher speeds.
Gas blowers deliver maximum mobility and convenience. These are ideal for large areas or frequent use.
Blower / vacs or 3-in-1 blowers blow, vacuum, mulch and can reduce eight to 16 bags of debris into one single bag.
Backpack blowers are preferred by professionals because they provide comfort and power for extended use in large areas.
Chippers / shredders, chipper shredders / vacs, electric chippers clean up leaves and yard debris and create mulch for trees, shrubs and gardens at the same time.
Key Features of Leaf Blowers
4-Cycle Engine — Eliminates the need for mixing oil and gas
MPH (miles per hour) — Speed that air exits a unit. The higher the number, the greater the power
CFM (cubic feet per minute) — Reflects the total volume of air moved. The higher the number, the greater the power
dBA (decibels) — Measures noise level. The lower the number, the quieter the blower
Reduction Ratio — Represents the bags of leaves a mulcher can reduce to one bag
Speed Settings — Control the movement of debris
Other Lawn Cleanup Tools: Rakes
Today's rakes take the concept of the human hand and finger dexterity to a bigger scale. Now rakes come in all styles:
- Leaf — For movement of leaves, grass clippings and other material. The flexible steel or polytines do a good job of cleaning yard debris from grass. A small shrub rake and a light touch works great when cleaning planting beds. Some of the supersize models can move a lot of leaves, but they'll also require extra strength to pull.
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Garden — Has strong tines designed for moving and removing debris or working the soil for planting. Use the top edge to level garden beds. Garden rakes come in two styles: - Flat — Has a T-shaped head that's attached directly to the handle for extra strength.
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Bow — The head is attached by two curved steel supports.
Thatch — Designed specifically to scratch into turf and remove thatch.
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