Wait: Try to wait until after peak fall foliage to rake your leaves. If you rake too early you will likely rake your yard more often, which can be unnecessary.
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Outdoors
Taming the Outdoors: Tips For Raking Leaves
by Homesessive
Dreading raking the leaves in your yard this fall? Although your memories from childhood of jumping in autumn leaves may leave you with happy thoughts, let's face it, actually spending hours raking them into piles just isn't the best. But it is something that must be done to properly maintain your lawn, especially before the winter season. However, we've compiled a list of raking tips and tricks to help you finish this task.
View the slideshow above to learn how to make raking the leaves easy!
For more outdoor tricks, check out Outdoor Cleaning Tips and Outdoor Living Space.
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Warm Up and Stretch: Like any other physical activity, you should warm up your muscles before you start working them while raking. This activity uses muscles in your arms, chest, shoulders, legs, and back. Try walking around the yard ahead of time, followed by some light stretching.
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Wear Layers: It might be cool when you first head out the door, but you'll work up a sweat after you've been raking a while. You can peel off a windbreaker or jacket so you don't get overheated if you're wearing a sweatshirt or sweater underneath.
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Try Smaller Sweeping Motions: Sweep in smaller motions rather than in larger ones. You will get more leaves per sweep using this technique.
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Avoid Windy Days: Try to rake on a day that is not too windy. On windy days the leaves will not stay in neat piles for bagging later.
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Switch Sides: Most people tend to rake on only one side of their body. Make an attempt to switch from right to left sides every 10 minutes or so. This will help balance out the stress and strain to the lower back.
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Try to Stay Dry: Rake leaves only when they are dry because wet leaves are harder to rake because they're heavier. And they can also harbor mold, which is bad if you suffer from seasonal allergies.
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Relax Afterward: Take a hot bath after you're done for the day. Before you head into the bath, stretch out for a few minutes to relax muscles and relieve tension.
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Take Your Time: If you aren't normally very physically, take your time. Do not attempt to rake your whole yard at once. You'll wear yourself out and regret doing it the next day. Give your muscles a chance to relax!
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Bend Properly: If you have to bend over, try to face forward rather than stooping and twisting to one side, which will strain the back.
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Don't Make Your Bags Too Heavy: Do not overfill bags because they will be too heavy to lift. If you do fill them up too much, drag the bags being careful not to tear the plastic, or use a wheelbarrow.
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Turn Your Leaves Into Compost: If you have too many leaves in your yard to bag, considering turning the leaves into a compost.
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