5 Simple Tricks to Make Raking Leaves, Clearing Gutters, and Other Fall Yard Work Easier
Gathering leaves and nixing weeds can be hassle especially during this time of the year. Luckily, those yard work tasks just got so much easier with these five expert tips that’ll have you enjoying the crisp fall air in no time!
Clear Gutter Clutter With a Pasta Scooper
The simple tool to sweep leaves out of gutters effortlessly is already in your house: Just use a spaghetti serving spoon or cat litter scoop to quickly spoon out the gunk. The prongs on the scoop grab hold of all of the wet leaves and debris for easy removal, freeing up gutters in a flash.
Corral Leaves With a Tarp Trick
Tired of paper lawn bags flopping while you tote them around the yard to rake leaves? Simplify and speed up the process by laying a tarp or old bedsheet on the ground and raking all the leaves onto it, then lift the tarp or sheet and pour leaves into a lawn bag in one quick move. If you don’t have a lot of leaves, Courtenay Hartford of CreekLineHouse.com suggests going over them with your lawn mower to create “leaf mulch” that will break down and feed the lawn with valuable nutrients during the fall and winter months.
KO Weeds With a Salty Splash
Getting rid of pesky weeds now prevents them from seeding and multiplying when the weather warms up, making life a little easier in the spring, says Hartford. To eliminate them, she soaks weeded areas with a garden hose, then sprinkles a 1⁄8 inch-thick layer of salt on the unwanted growth. The sodium dissolves into soil to dehydrate weeds and their roots. Tip: Hartford suggests applying salt on a sunny day, as the warmth of the sun will speed the drying to kill weeds faster.
Streamline a Shed With Strategic Storage
“When putting away patio furniture, garden tools and more in a shed or garage, organize in the order that you use the items,” notes Lauren Kim of MomHomeGuide.com. Stash summer items in the back and things you’ll need in the spring like planters at the front for easy access.
Inventory Plants in a Snap
Your flowering perennials add such beauty to your yard, but sometimes it can be hard to tell where the dormant plants are located when you get into the garden to start planting in the spring. Kim’s easy fix: “To ensure you don’t dig up any existing perennials, bulbs or other plants in the spring, take pictures of your garden and planted parts of your yard during the fall so you know exactly where everything is.”
A version of this article originally appeared in our print magazine, Woman’s World.
