Ask any lawn care professional or enthusiast about the steps you can take to improve the look of your lawn, and you'll get some tried-and-true advice:
You rarely hear one of the easiest pieces of advice to follow: pick up your waste!
We're not just talking about bits of litter like gum wrappers and soda cans, although those are unsightly. Large amounts of lawn debris like leaves, grass clippings, and pine needles harbor pests, increase the buildup of thatch and weeds, and prevent your grass from getting the sunlight it needs.
Lawn vacuums are an effective solution for picking up ground waste, and not just for people with lawns. Anyone with some outdoor maintenance to do can benefit from a lawn vacuum :
For each of those people, a lawn vacuum can make cleanup fast and easy.
The type of lawn vacuum you buy will depend on a couple of factors. Your budget is one; the size of your outdoor property is another.
Both gas and corded electric handheld models are available, and both provide the amount of power needed to create strong suction while you're using your vacuum.
If you prefer even more power, you might consider either a tow-behind lawn vacuum or a walk-behind lawn vacuum. Ideal for commercial users or for people who own large properties, these options cost more but offer plenty of power and additional features for the price:
Our Lawn Vacuum Buyer's Guide contains more advice for choosing the right vacuum for your property and is especially useful if you're considering a walk behind vacuum.
Once you've found your perfect lawn vacuum, your next step is to learn how to use it.
A handheld lawn vacuum is a powerful piece of equipment that you hold close to your body. Every time you use it, be sure that you use it safely and properly.
Most handheld vacuums include a collection bag that attaches to the side or the back of the machine. We've heard plenty of stories about first-time users who begin vacuuming their lawns only to discover the hard way that they forgot to close that bag.
Handheld blower/vacuums are designed to pick up lightweight, flexible pieces of debris. Even if your vacuum does have the power to pick up twigs and branches, they likely will damage the vacuum's internal components.
Make sure you clear twigs from your leaf and grass piles, and avoid them while you're vacuuming along edges.
Just as you need to adjust your handheld lawn vacuum's speed for the surface you're cleaning, you also might need to adjust the length of the vacuum tube for better performance. If your vacuum isn't creating as much suction as you'd like, try extending the tube. Bringing the mouth of the vacuum closer to the ground might create a more powerful pull.
Loud noise, flying debris, vibrations that cause muscle fatigue - using a leaf vacuum poses more risks than you initially might think! The good news is that you can reduce your risk just by wearing proper safety gear while you work:
Additionally, you should pay attention to safety when you're done vacuuming your lawn - specifically when you're refilling your gas-powered vacuum's fuel tank. You might be ready to put your lawn care tools away and congratulate yourself on a job well done, but in order to avoid high temperatures that risk fuel combustion, we recommend letting your vacuum cool down for 15 minutes before filling the tank.
Even though walk-behind and tow-behind models use a lot of power, you're only making them work harder when you try to vacuum debris from wet surfaces. Because moisture can cause leaves and grass clippings to form heavy clumps, you'll find it easier to pick them up when the ground is dry.
Walk-behind and tow-behind lawn vacuums generally offer two options for getting rid of debris:
If you choose not to bag your debris, you'll save yourself time by aiming your discharge chute toward the areas of your lawn you have yet to vacuum. This will ensure that you're constantly adding debris to one large cleanup pile instead of scattering it over the areas you just cleaned.
Remember how we discussed adjusting the length of a handheld lawn vacuum's tube? A similar idea applies when discussing the height of a walk-behind or tow-behind vacuum's mouth: keeping it low and close to the ground will create more suction.
However, there's another factor to consider with walk-behind lawn vacuums: the terrain you're riding or driving over. Raising the height setting will reduce the odds of your machine getting damaged when passing over bumpy, uneven ground.
Yes, walk-behind and tow-behind vacuums make cleanup convenient - so convenient, you can clean even large spaces by yourself.
But large spaces usually harbor lots of debris, and that debris can get heavy if you're collecting all of it in a bag or bin. Depending on the size and weight of your collection bag, you might find unloading it easier and safer if you have a work buddy to help.
Lawn vacuums might not be as common as the kinds of vacuums you use inside on carpet and rugs. When it comes to tending to your outdoor property, though, why shouldn't it get just as much attention and care as the inside of your home?
By cleaning up yard debris with a lawn vacuum, you'll keep your lawn healthy and attractive throughout the year. With these tips in mind, you'll be so skilled at using your vacuum that you'll be the one other people come to for advice.