The 10 Commandments of Raking Leaves

Raking leaves is like doing your taxes. No one wants to do it; but since you have to (unless you don’t want a decent looking lawn in the spring), you want to do it the fastest, easiest way. With that in mind, we offer you The 10 Commandments of Raking Leaves:

#1 THOU SHALT OBSERVE THY CITY’S POLICY.

Before you even pick up a rake (and we’ll tell which one soon) find out what your city’s policy is for leaf collecting. Should you bring it to the curb, bag it in paper bags or what. Do this first. Ask your neighbors. If they don’t know, go on Google and do a search for: “(your city’s name) leaf collecting policy.”

#2 THOU SHALT NOT USE A GARDEN RAKE.

That ancient garden rake rusting away in your shed should be used only for – you guessed it – your garden. What you want is a leaf rake. You can pick one up at Home Depot for about ten bucks.For those of you who are visual learners:#3 THOU SHALT USE CORRECT BAGS.You can cut corners elsewhere, but when it comes to trash bags, do yourself (and your spouse) a favor and get a good one. What’s a good one? A thick one. What’s a thick one? 1.3 MIL or above. What’s a MIL? One thousandth of an inch. How thick is that? A credit card is about 30 MIL.Depending on the size of your can, a 33-gallon or 55-gallon trash bag should work just fine. We recommend getting a back that's at least 1.3 MIL thick. These durable babies can be stuffed to the gills with leaves and are super resistant to punctures and tears from the occasional twig or branch you end up throwing in for good measure. Landscapers and contractors use these bags so you can rest assured they can do the job.

Be sure to stop by our Lawn & Leaf Trash Bags page to view our entire selection of tried, true and tested lawn and leaf bags.

#4 THOU SHALT DRILL 2-INCH HOLES IN THY TRASH CAN.

Sound odd? Let me explain. After you’ve filled your trash can with leaves, you may notice that it can be a wrestling match to pull that darned bag out of the can. That’s because suction is being created between the bag and the can. “I have just the trick for that,” says Ed Boyce, a landscaper of over 30 years in southern California. “Drill 2 inch holes all over your 33-gallon trash can as well as the bottom. You’ll then be able to pull out your bag without a fight because there’s no more suction.” Got it? Good. Now get drilling.

#5 THOU SHALT NOT RAKE WET LEAVES.

Noah did not come out of the ark until the land was completely dry. Take heed to these words of the Bible and wait till your wet leaves have dried out before raking. Wet leaves are heavy leaves – which make for difficult raking and bagging. Remember, we want to work smarter, not harder.

#6 THOU SHALT NOT SHLEP

If you own of a wheeled rollout cart, hallelujah! Your job just got a whole lot easier. Forget tarp and mounds of leaf piles. Simply line your cart with a rollout cart liner, lean it on its side, and start shoveling those leaves right in. After filling your 65 or 95 gallon cart, tie and toss. Then, repeat. Do this until your yard is whistling clean and your jumbo bags are neatly awaiting pickup at the curb.

#7 THOU SHALT CLEAR THY PATHS.

You can let your lawn go to pot by raking once or twice during the entire fall, but for safety, you should regularly clear your pathways and high-traffic areas.

#8 THOU SHALT MOW.

To completely absolve yourself from raking, you can run over your leaves with a mulching mower. While you’ll certainly benefit from the saved time, your lawn will also benefit from the nutrients contained in the leaves that will return to the soil. If you don’t have a mulching mower, you can use your regular mower with a mulching blade.

#9 THOU SHALT TAKE CARE OF THY BODY BESTOWED UPON THEE.

G-d gave you one body. Take care of it. Even when raking leaves. Here are a few tips:

- Keep a good posture and stand upright.- Switch your main hand (the bottom one) on a regular basis.- Always bend at the knees (not the back) when bending to pick up a pile or filling a - trash bag with leaves.

#10 THOU SHALT MAKE JACK O’ LANTERNS.

One way to make leaf-raking a labor of laughter is to use orange garbage bags to collect your leaves and then create curb-side jack o’ lanterns.Thou have thus been commanded.