When you think of Autumn, you think of the many piles of leaves on the ground and the seemingly endless leaf blowing you have to do. But blowing away leaves isn’t the only thing a leaf blower can do! A leaf blower can and should be your best friend in the garden and can do a wide range of things, from clearing gutters, clearing grass clippings to cleaning your driveway. But there is a lot more to a leaf blower than just turning it on and cleaning to your hearts desire. Here are a few things you should keep in mind when using a leaf blower.
Buy the right one!
We stock many different varieties of leaf blowers, but you need to choose the right one for you. Things you should consider is what type of jobs you want to do, how often you want to use your machine and the size of the areas you’re working in. It’s important to choose the right leaf blower and our personal favourite is the BGA 45. The BGA 45 is part of the lithium-ion series and will give you the power you need. At just 2kg, the BGA 45 is incredibly lightweight and quiet and has a blowing speed of 157 km/h and an air volume of 500 m3h. For all your leaf blowing needs, the BGA 45 will be there for you.
Use it at the right time
Being woken at 6am by the neighbours using the leaf blower is everybody’s nightmare, so make sure to plan ahead before using your leaf blower. Make sure to pick a time during the day that suits most people around you and be considerate of your neighbours. Planning ahead when it comes to the weather is also incredibly important. Try to ensure you are clearing the leaves on a windless, clear day. There is nothing worse than making a neat pile of leaves and having the wind or rain sweep them off again. If you can’t seem to catch a break with the wind, try moving your leaves when the wind is blowing in the direction you want to go.
Gear up
Leaf blowers are extremely loud, and exposure to this loud noise for long periods of time could damage your hearing. So make sure you are wearing ear protection when working with a leaf blower. Proper safety goggles need to be worn while working as small sticks and debris can easily blow into your eyes. Other important protective gear includes closed in shoes, gloves, covered, non-baggy clothing and a dust mask for your nose and mouth.
Make a plan
Before you start blowing debris everywhere, make sure you have a plan of action. Firstly, plan where you ultimately want your leaves to go, whether that be into small piles, towards a garden bed, or onto your neighbours grass… You can also position a tarp to blow the leaves onto so you can pick them all up at once and deposit them into the bin. Start at the edges of buildings and hedges and work the leaves towards an open area where you can then move them to your designated area. Make sure to work in one direction so that you don’t blow leaves into an area you’ve already worked through. Don’t get too close to your pile of leaves to make sure you don’t blow them all back into the garden. Try to clean up your piles once a good amount of leaves has been collected.
Remember, you don’t need to remove every single leaf from the ground. Leaf blowers are for large amounts of leaves and you can go back in after and collect stragglers with a rake.