4 Alternatives to Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers (Not Rakes)

Everyone hates Leaf Blowers, and it’s not hard to see why. For most people, noise is reason enough. If you have a lawn in your neighborhood, chainsaw-level noise is inevitable most of the year and always seems to start at the worst time of year. Their engines are so inefficient and good at polluting the environment that they should be considered a threat to public health.

A gas-powered leaf blower is basically an old-fashioned two-stroke engine with a nozzle attached. It literally means “old school” here. Unlike automobile engines, the engines that power leaf blowers, chainsaws and generators look and function essentially the same as they did 100+ years ago. They still require a mixture of oil and gas, the former burning out in a big cloud of smoke every time the engine ignites. To make matters worse, 2-stroke engines don’t have catalytic converters to reduce emissions.Ann An oft-cited (and miscited) Swedish study from 2001 We found that driving a lawnmower without a catalytic converter for one hour emitted about the same amount of pollutants as driving about 93 miles. (If you’ve ever heard that driving a leaf blower for an hour is worse than driving a car for 100 miles, this is where the statistic comes from.) Because most mowers don’t use 2-stroke engines. , which actually applies the findings of this study to leaf blowers, but given that they are even less efficient (and less regulated) than lawn mowers, it certainly paints a picture.

The bottom line is that giant clouds of toxic gas are just part of the deal with gas and oil powered leaf blowers. , especially for children, the elderly and, most notably, workers whose superiors and clients require them to operate these nasty contraptions at very close range, often without adequate protective equipment. , they should be banned and replaced with one of the following options: No need to pick up the rake.

Electric leaf blower (and vacuum cleaner)

The most obvious replacement for gas-powered leaf blowers is the electric one. They’re still as noisy as every go, but they’re powerful enough for your leaf removal needs. will cost $200-400. If you want to shred those leaves for mulching, look for a blower with vacuum and shredding or mulching capabilities. Many models can do it all.

towed lawn mower

Removing leaves and other debris from a lawn large enough to require a riding mower is a large project. If that describes your situation, a towed mower might just be the ticket. You’ll have to empty the collection container, but it’s safer than dealing with a cloud of soot.

push leaf collector

Even if you want to go completely motorless, there is at least one non-rake option. It is a push leaf collector. These are sometimes called lawn mowers, but they operate much like push mowers, unlike those that attach to a tractor or lawn mower. They are basically large baskets on wheels. Sweepers collect leaves and other debris into baskets as you push them onto the lawn.

kill your lawn

Lawns are hard to care for and a waste of space that consumes a lot of waterRedesigning your yard to completely eliminate bare grass (or at least minimize the amount underneath deciduous trees) means you won’t have to spend half your fall weekends picking leaves. Besides, fallen leaves make a great mulch. If your garden is set up to fall on plants instead of grass, you can just leave it and let nature take its course. Of course, this won’t help if you already have a ton of leaves to deal with, but it’s worth considering for the future.