A Handyman Rated the 5 Tools Homeowners Use to Clean Up Their Lawn. Only 1 Scored a 10/10.
Learn why the rake in your garage only earns a 3/10, why the blower and the mower leave the mess right where it was, and the one tool that actually picks it up. Hint: it has no engine.
There are really only two types of people with a yard full of leaves and acorns: the ones still spending Saturday moving the mess around, and the ones who found a tool that picks it up.
The difference isn't effort, or a stronger back. It's which tool comes out of the garage. So here is every one of them, scored out of 10 by a handyman who has used all 5.
The rake. Takes forever, and your back pays the price. 3/10.
RAKE · 3/10A rake does one thing: it drags. You pull the mess into a pile, bend down, scoop it into a bag, stand up, and do it again. That's an hour hunched over, and that's a small yard.
It was also built for leaves, which are flat and light. Acorns are round and hard, so they roll right out from under the tines and settle down into the grass. The rake gets 3 points because it's cheap and it's already hanging in the garage. That's it.
The leaf blower. It moves the leaves, straight into another pile. 5/10.
LEAF BLOWER · 5/10The blower is faster than a rake, which is how it earns a 5. But watch what it actually does. It doesn't pick anything up. It sends the mess somewhere else: against the fence, into the flower bed, over to the neighbor's side. One gust of wind and you're chasing it again.
Then you still have to bag the pile by hand. And the heavy stuff, like acorns, mostly stays right where it fell. You're paying for gas or batteries to do half the job.
The lawn mower. Great for cutting grass, terrible at cleaning up what's left behind. 4/10.
LAWN MOWER · 4/10Plenty of people try to just mow over it. The grass looks cut, and for about a minute the yard looks better. Then you look down. The clippings are lying in clumps, and the leaves and acorns are all still there, only chopped smaller.
Acorns are the worst of it. Mowing over them turns them into projectiles, and they dull and chip the blade. A mower is a cutting tool. Cleanup was never its job.
The broom. Unless you enjoy spending your entire Saturday sweeping your yard. 2/10.
BROOM · 2/10Yes, people really try this. A broom is made for a hard, flat floor. On grass the bristles skate over the top, and whatever they do catch moves about a foot at a time.
It gets 2 points for the patio and the last corner of the driveway. For a lawn, it's the slowest tool you own.
The vacuum for Your lawn. Because this one actually picks the stuff up. 10/10.
VACUUM FOR YOUR LAWN · 10/10This is the only tool on the list that doesn't drag the mess, blow it, or chop it. It picks it up. Leaves, grass clippings, acorns, pine needles, little sticks. Just push it right over them and they're gone.
There's no gas, no battery and no cord. You just walk behind it. The wheels spin the brushes, the brushes grab the debris, and everything goes straight into the bag. Unlike a rake, you're not hunched over for an hour. Unlike a blower, you're not just sending the mess somewhere else. When the bag fills up, lift it, dump it, put it back, and keep moving.
Where do I get a vacuum for your lawn?
Lawn sweepers aren't new. Groundskeepers have pulled big ones behind tractors for decades. The catch was that they came in commercial sizes, at commercial prices, and you needed the tractor.
So IronRidge built one you push by hand: the IronRidge Vacuum for your Lawn. You roll it across the yard and it lifts leaves, clippings, acorns and pine needles up off the grass, then empties from one bag. It's rated to pick up 80% of the debris in a single pass, so one more walk over the heavy spots finishes the job.
Right now, every sweeper comes with 3 lawn bags FREE, plus a 1-year warranty.
And here's the part to pay attention to. These sweepers have already sold out 5 times this year. Once this batch is gone, you're waiting for the next restock, and the leaves don't wait.
Click the button above to see if the Vacuum for Your Lawn is still in stock from this batch.
What homeowners are saying
"My only regret is that I spent the previous 3 years raking, blowing, or mowing over leaves."
"Used it to 'rake' grass cuttings, 1 acre lot. Took 1/4 th the time than actual raking."
"Saves me time and saves my back!"
Put Down the Rake This Fall.
Sweeper. 3 FREE lawn bags. 1-year warranty. If your yard is already covered in leaves, acorns and clippings, don't wait until the mess gets twice as big.
CHECK AVAILABILITY »Get yours before this batch sells out.