How to Blow Leaves with a Leaf Blower

There are many reasons why you might need to use a leaf blower. Maybe you have a lot of leaves falling from your trees and you want to get them all in one go. Maybe you’ve got some bushes or shrubs that are littered with leaves and need to be cleared out. Perhaps, you just want to keep your driveway, sidewalk or patio clean and tidy. Whatever the reason, learning how to blow leaves with a leaf blower is important.

Types of Leaf Blowers

But first, let’s discuss the different leaf blowers on the market. There are many different types of leaf blowers on the market. Some are gas-powered, while others are electric. There are also cordless leaf blowers, which can be convenient if you don’t have an outlet nearby. Then there are the big backpack leaf blowers.

The most important factor to consider when purchasing a leaf blower is the type of surface you will be using it on. For example, if you have a large yard with a lot of leaves, you will need a more powerful leaf blower than someone who just needs to clear some debris from their driveway.

Safety Gear for Leaf Blowers

Leaf blowers can be hazardous to the people that use them. A leaf blower safety kit has everything you need to protect yourself from the effects of a leaf blower. This includes goggles, face masks, ear muffs and gloves.

– Goggles: It is important to wear goggles when using leaf blowers to prevent eye injuries from flying debris.

– Face Masks: A mask should be worn if there is any risk of inhaling dust from operating a leaf blower. This might be an issue, for example, if the ground and leaves are dry or you have allergies or other respiratory problems.

– Ear Muffs/Ear Plugs: If you’re going to be exposed to loud noise for a long time, hearing protection is recommended. That way, your ears will be protected from noise-induced hearing loss.

Tips for Using a Leaf Blower:

Here are a couple of tips to get you started.

Tip #1 – Before using your leaf blower, please ensure that you’ve read the manual. This will help you to understand how it operates and what safety precautions should be taken when using it. This will also inform you:

• How to start and stop the leaf blower
• How to clean your machine
• How to store your machine

Tip #2 – Choose an easy task to do to get used to your leaf blower. You can start by blowing off your driveway, for example. This will help you get a feel for how the device works and how much power it has.

How to Use a Leaf Blower

Blowing leaves with a leaf blower is essentially the same whether it’s a corded, cordless, gas-powered or backpack. First, you need to know what direction you want to blow the leaves or debris. It is better if you can blow leaves in the direction of the wind if possible or across the wind. If you blow into the wind and the wind is strong enough the leaves will end up behind you.

When using the blower, aim the nozzle toward the ground at a shallow angle. This will allow the stream of air to lift the leaves and propel them forward. The nozzle shouldn’t touch the ground that way you can get more coverage from the air flow.

Move the blower in an arc, sweeping from side to side to blow a wider area. To reduce fatigue on big jobs, do the sweeping motion at the wrist where possible. Sweeping by swinging your arms will wear you out after a while, even with the lightest of leaf blowers.

How to Use a Leaf Blower for Cleaning Hard Surfaces

The easiest way to clean hard surfaces is to simply blow the leaves and debris into the yard. Then you can come back with a lawn mower and either chop up the debris or bag it and put it in the compost bin.

How to Use a Leaf Blower to Clean Up Fall Leaves

Blow Leave into a big pile

This is the most common task for leaf blowers. First, depending on the size of your yard and the number of leaves, decide how many piles you need to create and where you want the pile or piles to be. Then, begin blowing using a sweeping motion as you blow toward the center. Walk sideways around the center point of the pile. Continue doing this while gradually moving toward the center.

You can only go so far before your blower starts blowing leaves into the area on the other side of the pile you’ve just blown. At that point you can dispose of your leaves by putting the leaves into bags, hauling them to the compost heap or burning them.

Blow Leaves onto a tarp

This is similar to blowing into a big pile only the target is a tarp. Use the blower to clear an area to put the tarp down. Once the tarp is down, you’ll probably need to weigh it down with rocks or bricks. Then, start at the outside edge of the area you are going to clear and blow toward the tarp. When the area is clear and the tarp is full, you can fold the tarp up and drag it to where you want to dump the leaves.

Blow Leaves into the street

Some cities will collect leaves with a street sweeper. If you live in one of those cities, lucky you! Here just start at the back of the yard and blow toward the street. Use the same sweeping motion and walk sideways, back and forth across the entire width of the yard. Keep going until you get all the leaves to the street.

Blow Leaves up against a wall or privacy fence

This is the same process as all three above except the target is a wall or a fence. It is easier to do as long as the wall is solid. Blowing leaves against a chain link fence might not get you the desired outcome (and your neighbor might not like it either).

Just be careful when getting close to the wall or fence. You may get leaves and debris blown back at you.

How to Use a Leaf Blower to Clean Flower Beds

When cleaning flower beds, use care not to damage the flowers. It is usually best to use only enough power to clean leaves out of the beds. Too much air flow could break the stems of the plants or knock off blooms.

How to Use a Leaf Blower on Mulch

Landscaping mulch can be as light as leaves. If you try to clean an area with mulch with too much power, you’ll blow the mulch out too. The best way I’ve found is to use the lowest speed on the blower and hold it low and almost parallel to the ground. Then the air will blow straight across the top of the mulch and just move the leaves and not the mulch. You still might blow some of the mulch out anyway. Just use care not to blow too much out.

Conclusion

Leaf blowers are a great tool to have around the house. Knowing how to blow leaves with a leaf blower adds to its value. There are quite a few things to think about when learning to use a leaf blower. The main thing is to protect yourself from injury. I hope this blog post has answered any question you may have. And if you are still unsure watch the YouTube video below.

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