When fall hits Canada and Ontario, raking leaves becomes a chore for most homeowners. Leaves with various shades of yellow, red, purple, magenta, orange, and brown carpet lawns and sidewalks. Autumn cleanup requires a lot of work. Some people even describe it as a variety of exercises rolled into one activity.
- Warm up the body – Before attacking those little hills of fallen leaves, take time to warm up for about 10 minutes. Preparing your bones and muscles for the work ahead reduces the possibility of having an aching body the following morning. Raking engages the back, hamstring, and arms.
- Prep tools – Your rake and other tools for autumn cleanup are most useful if they’re clean and well-oiled. They also have to be the correct size. Use a rake with the perfect height, weight, and controllability. Having a rake with the correct dimensions for your physical size (and personal limitations) makes the job easier and faster.
- Keep sightlines open – Avoid wearing scarves, goggles, or any type of clothing or accessory that obstructs your field of vision. If you don’t have full range of sight, you might overlook some hazards like jutting roots, hidden rocks, or slippery surfaces.
- Wear proper attire – Leaf raking clothing isn’t expensive; in fact, you can wear “grubby” old clothes. However, slip-resistant boots or footwear are useful. They greatly lessen the risk of slips and falls due to wet leaves. If you can wait until leaves are dry to do the job, do so. Wet leaves are heavier than dry ones. Raking dry leaves saves time and energy.
- Use proper posture – When lifting, bend your knees and put the effort into your legs, not your back. Do not bend over to pick up things, squat with your body upright. Use the long handle of the rake to pull leaves toward you instead of bending low. If you get tired or sore, take a break — or pay a neighbourhood kid to finish the job.
- Choose a calm day – Try not to rake when it’s windy. It can add time to your effort. If you don’t have a choice, rake leaves in the same direction the wind is blowing to prevent it from spreading the leaves.
- Use yard waste bags – Residents of Toronto and some areas of the GTA benefit from a yard waste program which reroutes 80,000 tons of organic yard waste from landfills. Yard waste is collected by cities or towns every other week from late spring until mid-December. It is then turned into compost and is often offered to the public for free at Community Environment Days.
Keep raking leaves from being back-breaking work; make it fun by playing a few tunes outdoors or letting your children jump in the piles of leaves. (Yes, that adds to the work but it’s a great photo op.) When you want real assistance with your trees, like pruning or tree removal, call the experts.
If you need any type of tree service, Dave Lund Tree Service & Forestry will be more than happy to assist. Call us today: (905) 884-0511 (Richmond Hill tree help) and 905-775-1020 (tree care in Bradford).