What can you do with a leaf blower?
The obvious answer is the one that’s right there in the name. Leaf blowers produce a strong blast of air used to push leaves. They’re a staple of autumn yard work. As leaves fall from the trees, we use leaf blowers and shredder/vacs to clean up lawns, sidewalks, and other parts of the yard. But moving leaves isn’t the only thing you can use a leaf blower for.
Leaf blowers are a versatile tool with year-round applications. You can use them for cleaning out a tool shed in the spring, moving cut grass in the summer, or clearing a winter sidewalk. And those are just a few of the many useful things you can do with a leaf blower spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Spring
Starting the year with spring cleaning is a time-honored tradition. Blowers can help with that. If winter winds blew dead leaves and other debris into your yard, you can use blowers to clean out the lawn and garden areas. You can also use a blower to clean floors in a garage, tool shed, and other outbuildings. Many blower manufacturers also offer gutter-cleaning attachments to help clear out your gutters before spring rains.
As spring continues, you might find your yard covered with fallen blooms from flowering trees and twigs that drop after spring storms. A blower can help clean these things up the same way they clean up leaves in the fall. And if you use industrial vacuums for your other spring cleaning, a blower can help you clean out the air filters quickly and easily.
Summer
As you head into summer, keep using a leaf blower to clean up yard debris. They’re also useful if you need to move lawn clippings that might have clumped up on your lawn. Another good use for a leaf blower is removing light-weight branches and leaves that fell while hedge trimming.
You can also use the blower to help with all the rain that often falls in the Dallas-Fort Worth area during May and June. Blowers can help clear away standing water puddles in your yard. You can also use blowers to dry off sturdy patio furniture so you can use it soon after a shower.
If your family travels over the summer, you can use the leaf blower at the end of your trip to quickly clean out the inside of a vehicle. They’re also great for quickly cleaning the back of a pickup truck for blowing loose leaves and dirt out of an equipment trailer.
Fall
Leaf blowers are designed for the autumn season. They’re useful for many other tasks, as we’ve seen so far, but the original use was moving fallen leaves. Make quick work of your yard cleanup tasks in the fall by using a blower to move leaves. Some blowers have a shredder/vac setting as well if you want to gather the leaves up.
You can also use blowers for other fall cleaning tasks. Use them to blow dirt and debris off patio furniture, grills, and other equipment before storage. This is also a good time to get that gutter cleaning attachment out of storage and get the gutters clean before winter. And if you have an attic, you can use a blower to get dust out of the soffits.
Winter
Leaf blowers are also great tools for moving snow. They’re especially useful for lightweight snow that’s less than 1-inch deep. For deeper snow or wet, heavy snow a more powerful snowblower might be needed.
Using leaf blowers in the winter can help keep porches, steps, patios, and pathways clear of snow. This helps make walking outside safer in the winter since snow and ice can make the ground slippery. Since many blowers create warm air, they may even help melt thin patches of snow or ice. You can even use them to blow snow off your car.
Safety Tips
Modern leaf blowers are much quieter and safer than older blowers. New engine technology makes gasoline-powered blowers about 75% quieter than blowers from a decade ago. They’re also more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly. Battery-powered blowers make even less noise and have no engine exhaust.
Even with those improvements, you’ll still want to take some safety precautions. Wear hearing protection when operating blowers, especially the gasoline-powered ones. Eye protection and a dust mask (if you’re working in dry, dusty conditions) are also important.
Don’t use blowers to clean up large amounts of fine dust like plaster dust or concrete dust. Dry garden soil and gravel can also present a danger. You don’t want to breathe that dust in or blow gravel that could hurt you or others as it’s flung through the air. Also, don’t use the blower if you’re standing on a ladder. Use long-reach attachments to clean gutters and other hard-to-reach spots.
Choosing A Good Blower
Picking a good blower involves knowing what you want to do with the tool. It’s up to you whether a battery-powered or gasoline blower will work best. You get to choose whether you’d like to have the blower as a multi-tool attachment or get a blower all on its own. And if you want a dedicated blower, then you can choose between hand-held or backpack models. There are a lot of options available. For help narrowing down your choices, check out our article “Buying Guide: Choosing the Best Blower.”
Here at Richardson Saw & Lawnmower, we carry a variety of blowers from trusted brands including STIHL, Echo, and RedMax. Whether you’re looking for a lightweight hand-held blower or a commercial grade backpack blower, we’ve got you covered for both battery-powered and gasoline models. Contact us today or stop by our location here in Richardson to see what we have in stock and get expert answers to your questions.
