The primary use of a leaf blower is handling that carpet of fallen leaves coupled with lawn trimmings on the yard. And without a doubt, the blower excels when it comes to speeding up the entire process of gathering leaves as well as grass. It is also a valuable device when it comes to mulching these objects. But your leaf blower can also do so much for you other than that.
Top Leaf Blower Uses You (Probably) Didn’t Think About are:
- Cleaning Your Shop Vacuum Filters
- Clean your wood Shop
- Remove Acorns
- Clean Artificial Grass
- Debris Removal
- Removing snow
- Cleaning Dog Hair
- Laying Wire Using A Leaf Blower
- Drying your car or truck
- Clearing your Roof
In many cases, the flexibility of these devices can be pretty much surprising. For tasks that are too involving, a powerful cordless leaf blower would do the job for you. It will even end up outperforming other devices in different blowing tasks.
That said, it is essential to understand what a leaf blower is. And in this case, we often refer to it as a gardening tool. A quieter model of a leaf blower is rather often preferred when it comes to handling jobs in the house. Gas leaf blowers, on the other side, are highly preferred when handling small tasks, which are not involving. A gas leaf blower is also somewhat easier to use. With a couple of attachments and DIY ingenuity, you can easily equip a blower to help you do it all at once.
When considering using a leaf blower at first, the traditional applications are the first ones that most people think of. Manufacturers boast of presenting devices that are of high quality to the market for your use. They also claim to have devices that can help you blow off leaves and other obstacles that may be in your yard, including clearing vents, snow, as well as threading a wire into a conduit pipe, usually at a relatively high speed. On the other hand, a compact leaf blower has proven to be handy when it comes to clearing the interior of your house. But what are the other reasons for investing in a leaf blower? In this article, we shall show you all the uses, advantages, and innovative applications of the versatile gardening tool.
Contents
Uses Of Leaf Blower In And Around Your House
● Cleaning Your Shop Vacuum Filters:
A shop vacuum filter is designed to help keep the shop’s vacuum cleaner running at its peak performance. For effectiveness, you will learn that it is highly recommended that different filters should be replaced periodically every six months. Depending on the user’s needs, in this case, you should consider the existing differences between the filters on the market. For example, when it comes to industrial use, you need to consider getting a filter with various yellow end caps. Here, there is usually type Y and then type Z. For those tasks that need sensitive filtration; you should consider getting an ultra-web filter, for example, type BB or Z. If you are one of those people living with asthma out there, then you need to check the CleanStream type of cleaner.
Now that you know what a vacuum filter is, including why it is essential to have it with you, it is crucial to know that you also need it cleaned often to function appropriately. That is where a leaf blower comes in. This is a useful gadget in cleaning your vacuum filter ou are one of those individuals used to holding the arm length of the vacuum filter and then blowing dust out of the air hose nozzle. This is perfectly fine when there is a breeze such that the dust can blow downwind of you. However, you may still end up covered in large chunks of dust. With a leaf blower, you will hold the filter down with your feet and then blow the dust out. You shall be able to stay cleaner with the method.
● Cleaning The Wood Shop:
A couple of times in a year, you may give your dust-covered shop a single blowout. Begin by opening the doors of the shop and then putting box fans in your doorways to be able to blow the air outside. You can then open the blast gates found on the power tools and then switch the dust collector.
Before you start, you should always wear your safety gear first. They include the dust mask, safety glasses, coupled with hearing protection. Once you have these on, you can begin work with the leaf blower, beginning from the back of your woodshop and working towards the doors. Consider shoving it into the benches, shelving, and air collection ducts. Here, everything will get blasted. The dust that is not blown outside will get sucked into the collector of the leaf blower. You should run the machine for 20 minutes at a time.
– So how do you do this like a pro?
The first initiative in mastering the art of getting rid of the leaves is having the right tools. You may have realized that experts in the field can always give insight regarding the best rakes. The ideal leaf blowers are loved for their affordability and practical nature. A big leaf blower makes the work pretty much easier.
● Blowers For Acorns:
In the fall, oak trees cover the deck, lawns, and yard with beautiful layers of leaves. You will also realize that there could be a crop of different acorns along with these leaves. If you have a great stand of oak trees in the yard, then you will also notice that you are in for quite a bumpy crop year in year out. Acorns are hazardous, especially on the footpaths at home. They may also mess with your lawn. Maybe it is more important to note that these plants provide food not just for mice but skunks too. That is why they become predominant in the area during winter. And if you do not want to attract wildlife to your neighborhood, you need to take essential steps.
Here is where a leaf blower comes in. You can get tremendous assistance in such moments. But you need to follow some steps. Luckily, a leaf blower can be of enormous aid at such times. And in order to get rid of the stubborn acorns from the beautiful yard, you need to ensure that you gather as multiple of them as you can. In cases where you have two trees, you can try to shake out more acorns before cleaning them up. Begin by grabbing the tree and then shaking it as hard as possible. This is possible if you have a small oak tree on the sidewalk of your property.
● Using Your Leaf Blower On Artificial Grass:
Selecting an artificial lawn is a huge investment, especially in the beauty function it has on your property. However, with proper maintenance and cleaning, your yard may last a lifetime. Perhaps it is vital to note that one of the most asked questions by consumers with artificial lawns is just how you should care for your artificial lawn properly. Well, surprisingly, many yards made from turf are easy to clean and maintain. This is easier as compared to the natural grass lawn.
So whether you decide to install an artificial lawn in a backyard or just the rooftop patio, or better yet, use sections of the turf on the yard of the pathway, it is still rather easy to maintain this type of grass.
A leaf blower is an ideal tool for maintaining turf as well as grass. A high-quality blower is going to help remove any leaves and debris without damaging the grass and any other form of fiber. Because artificial grass does not really grow back or prevent any damage to fibers, a leaf blower can quickly clear your yard and enhance its look in a way that will make it look even.
Weeds need to be removed root. This is especially true for the artificial turf and yard that has sand as well as sediment on the anchor. It is also factual for the edges of the artificial grass. After making use of your leaf blower in clearing the leaves, weeds, as well as debris, a single pass with a lawn brush on the flat patches is going to let the grass fibers shoot back up.
– You should consider this while at it.
Natural grass needs to be cut, weeded, and then fertilized often. On the other hand, clippings and trimmings should always be picked up and then put away. Artificial turf, on the other contrary, does not really generate lawn waste. Therefore, it does not need cutting or any form of wedding. This implies that there is almost nothing to pick up except for the leaves and twigs that often fall from trees and surrounding shrubs. Here are a couple of suggestions you can implement to maintain the beauty and look of your artificial grass every other year.
– Using The Right Tools To Clean Artificial Grass
In case you need to clean your artificial lawn, then it is vital to use the right tools. Do not use anything with specific metal tips. You should also avoid using a device with spikes. Metallic tools may rip the interwoven mesh and then end up causing damage to the grass. This may be hard to repair. You should also avoid using a lawnmower as it will damage the lawn.
We recommend that you choose a plastic lawn tool designed for use on artificial lawns. Therefore, experts working in companies that provide such machines know what it takes to install the lawn. Consequently, they should be in a position to recommend the right tools to use. Here are just a couple of items you need:
- Lawn Rakes- A lawn rake with a plastic tine will gently lift and then separate various synthetic grass blades. This will give the lawn a fuller look. It will also keep it groomed.
- Using The Leaf And Grass Catcher- A grass catcher is usually used in picking up grass clippings. It can also be used to scrape leaves off the ground in the fall. Such devices are also ideal for large as well as medium lawns with artificial turf. Attaching it to a garden tractor will simplify removing lightweight elements and debris left behind during fall.
Debris Removal
Multiple contractors are known to depend on the rather walk-behind leaf blower to help remove leaves. For these people, it is more of a seasonal rite of passage. Therefore, it is like a necessary evil in regions with plenty of trees. So leaf removal in such places definitely comes with a couple of challenges. Usually, a thicket of dense leaves lies under a small area of leaves with twigs and other debris found in the mix. The prevailing conditions may even become frustrating for landscapers. And while a leaf blower can produce a rather straight airstream, it is can always be a daunting task to locate the right angle. Directing the stream of air to that base of the pile to move the heavy and wet leaves may easily force the top layer to blowback, usually over that cleared area known as windrowing.
But if the airstream is channeled towards the middle of the pile of leaves, then it will not really have the strength required at the base to help move more substantial leaves that need a few passes to clear that area. Experts in the leaf blower department are well versed with the technique of developing high-quality leaf blowers that can help you clear your pathways and yards easily. In this case, the fastest moving air should be in a position to deflect to the base to move the heavyweight of the pile right from the bottom to keep that pile of leaves together. Also, the same technique in leaf blowers helps in reducing as well as eliminating blowback while getting that work done in just one pass.
Regardless of where you reside, storms, as well as leaves, will cause a specific amount of debris to be left behind on the lawn. Your pets may end up dragging these remnants into the yard. Birds, on the other side, will deposit their treasures and build nests. Barks, as well as small twigs, are unsightly. Therefore, they can easily make that lawn look cluttered. Larger twigs coupled with branches can as well damage your webbing that forms the turf. This is because they have certain, sharp edges that may easily poke through the infill.
In several instances, the debris blown into an artificial lawn will be carried away by it. The excess water, coupled with wind, can lift the panels in your synthetic grass. These must be fixed by all means. If you wait for hours before cleaning it all up, you may have minimal cleaning time. In cases where there are shrubs or furniture and décor, you will need to ensure that you clean around so that what has been blown in does not continue to accumulate into a single space. Immediately the storm clears up; you should be prepared to clean the artificial grass. That way, it will not be damaged.
Using Blowers
If you have a smaller lawn that needs clearing, using a leaf blower is one of the fastest ways to achieve this. You can easily blow off piles of leaves that need to be picked up and put in the trash disposal bag. At the same time, a blower is an ideal gadget for removing leaves and lightweight debris from various landscaped areas and gutters.
● Clearing Snow Using A Leaf Blower:
There are a couple of regions that have been lucky when it comes to experiencing snowfall. As people move from December and into January, it becomes easy to expect thick snow that sticks as well as stays with us for many months in a day. And of course, clearing the sidewalks coupled with the driveway of white stuff may be a daunting task. So, most people would probably pull out this snow using a shovel. Some people can be pretty much fortunate to have a snowblower to help them in doing the work. The option of ridding the driveway is genuinely the best in many cases. However, if you have invested in a leaf blower, then you are also good to go.
A leaf blower is a useful tool when it comes to clearing off snow, particularly from the roof or sides of the car. If you happen to have a backpack as well as a gas-powered one, then your device can have sufficient power to be used in clearing driveways, stairs, as well as sidewalks.
And in many cases, you will also be in a position to move several piles of snow that have piled up around your house.
That said, leaf blowers are generally an ideal way of getting rid of powdery snow. If you are using this device to clear the snow, you need to make sure that you do it before you are forced to deal with the slush.
When blowing the snow away, you need to use a powerful leaf blower. Some of the best brands are as Echo and Stihl. You can also try our Craftsman. Regardless of the brand, you have invested in, ensuring that what you have chosen does the job is vital to ensure that your chosen blower is properly maintained.
The pros of using a leaf blower to get rid of snow begin with the fact that it is relatively easier to operate.
The blower is also known to be superior since you will not have to lift any form of the heavy volume of snow using your muscle power. The result is the quick removal of snow from the vehicles and driveways. But you also need to know that the leaf blowers work well ideally when it is rather vital to sweeping off light layers of snow.
One more element you need to keep in mind when clearing snow off the field is the fact that a leaf blower will not really do a great job against wet snow. It is only perfect for use when brushing off against dry powdery snow.
● Cleaning Dog Hair:
Dogs are not like cats. Therefore, they should be bathed often. While cats can comfortably bathe themselves, dogs need their owners when it comes to bathing. That way, they can prevent skin problems as well as keep them soft and smelling pleasant. It is easy to set your dog in a pool as well as a tub before washing him-but drying him can be very tricky.
Of course, there are a couple of misconceptions by individuals who haven’t taken their time to research the basics of washing as well as drying their dogs. All too often, people can assume that the best cleaning methods for humans are the best ones for dogs. But this can harm the animals. You can always use a leaf blower to dry off your dog.
● Laying Wire Using A Leaf Blower:
This is one of the least known uses of a leaf blower. Many people have not capitalized on it. But, it may actually come in handy for contractors. If you have ever needed to thread the wire into a conduit, then you understand just how time-consuming the entire process can be. Begin by attaching one of the ideal ends of your wire to a relatively small piece of foam. It could be an earplug. And in case you are using a relatively large wire, you can as well use a cork coupled with a sponge for additional weight. After that, you need to place the end of that wire into the conduit and fire up the blower. That way, you will have the cable unspooled within just a few hours. Instead of getting caught up in the single-use tool you may be thinking of right now; you can use a leaf blower.
● Drying Off That Truck:
This is one of the most valued advantages of using a leaf blower. Blowing your car dry using this device is ideal for ensuring that you do not get water spots on your car. It is also safer and a non-contact way for finishing your car wash without the application of an extra fiber rag. Besides, a leaf blower also allows you to dry off nooks coupled with crannies and grill in the wells’ wheels. You only need to ensure that the fan of the blower is clean. The collector bag should also be empty at this moment. Ensure that you aren’t blowing up dust onto the clean car.
● Clearing The Roof:
The roof is one of the most critical areas of your home. It needs extensive cleaning of the leaves as well as debris. This is without resorting to using a soft broom. In many cases, it also depends on the type of roof you have. If it is steel or metal, you are always free to use a gutter cleaning setup.
At the same time, you should pay extra attention if you own asphalt shingles. Although the tar strips can work in preventing the shingles from being lifted off, they might fail in other cases.
Perhaps it is important to note that the ideal way to handle this task with a leaf blower is by climbing up the roof and then blowing down the leaves from the ridge of the asphalt shingle roof. This may be safe if done properly.
Final Remarks
A leaf blower has several uses. For most swimmers, one primary winterizing task you need to think of is clearing the pool before the cold season. Here, you are required to blow out the lines of the pool. These refer to the pipes in which the pool water travels into the pump. They can freeze in cold weather, including the plumbing system. But this can be prevented using a leaf blower.
You can always use the blower to blow out the remaining water found within the pool lines. This is often easy to achieve once the pool has been drained. To be successful in this, you need to drain the water. The level should be about a foot before the skimmer line. You can then remove all the filter gaps and plugs from the pool before anything else. After that, you can go ahead and plug in the hose of the leaf blower.
Your leaf blower is not just a machine to help in clearing off leaves from the compound. It is also a machine that can serve several purposes at home. However, as we have stated in this blog post, you need to be well versed with the different types of leaf blowers to make a viable decision regarding which one is the best.
Can you use an electric leaf blower for all these tasks or do you need a gas one?
Hi Felicia, an electric leaf blower can be used for all the tasks mentioned in the blog post. Gas ones are ideal for smaller tasks. Hope this helps!
Do you need any special attachments to use a leaf blower for these tasks?
Yes, a leaf blower can be used for those tasks. No special attachments needed. Check out the blog post for more innovative uses of leaf blowers.
The tips on using a leaf blower to lay wire are very helpful!
Thank you, Jill! I’m glad you found the tips on using a leaf blower to lay wire helpful. There are so many versatile uses for this tool beyond just clearing leaves. Enjoy exploring all the possibilities!
I had no idea a leaf blower could be used to clean a dog’s hair, that’s interesting!
Thank you, Marie! Leaf blowers are indeed versatile tools with many unique uses beyond just clearing leaves. I’m glad you found the information interesting.
I appreciate the detailed information on how to clean artificial grass with a leaf blower.
Thank you for your kind words, Aaron. I’m glad you found the information on cleaning artificial grass with a leaf blower helpful. Enjoy your maintenance routines!
I had no idea leaf blowers had so many uses!
Thank you, Jeanne! Leaf blowers definitely have many surprising uses beyond just clearing leaves. Glad you found the information helpful.
Are there any safety precautions to consider when using a leaf blower?
Hi Stacy, safety precautions with a leaf blower include wearing protective gear, avoiding contact with debris, and ensuring proper maintenance. Explore the versatile uses beyond leaf blowing. Stay safe and enjoy!
I never considered using a leaf blower to clean the roof, but it makes sense!
Thank you for your comment, Carole! Yes, using a leaf blower to clean the roof can be quite efficient. Have you tried any of the other unique uses mentioned in the blog post?
What are the best brands of leaf blowers for these tasks?
Hi Dwayne, Echo, Stihl, and Craftsman are great brands for leaf blowers. They are versatile and can be used for a variety of tasks like clearing snow, dog hair, and more. Hope this helps!
How powerful of a leaf blower do I need for these tasks?
Dear Devon, for the tasks you mentioned, a powerful cordless leaf blower would be ideal. Additionally, consider using it for cleaning filters, shop, acorns, artificial grass, snow, dog hair, laying wire, drying car, and clearing roof. Happy leaf blowing!
How often should a leaf blower be cleaned and maintained?
Leaf blowers should be cleaned and maintained every 6 months (or more frequently, depending on use) for optimal performance and longevity. It can also help with cleaning filters, removing acorns, cleaning artificial grass, and more.
I never thought about using a leaf blower for cleaning a wood shop, that’s brilliant!
Thank you, Ernest! Leaf blowers are indeed versatile tools with many surprising uses beyond just clearing leaves. I’m glad you found the idea of using one in a wood shop helpful. Enjoy exploring all the possibilities!
I never thought of using a leaf blower to remove snow, that’s really clever!
Thank you, Allen! Leaf blowers truly have a wide range of uses beyond what most people think. I’m glad you found the information helpful.
I’m definitely going to try using a leaf blower for some of these tasks around my house.
Thanks for sharing, Georgia! Leaf blowers can be so versatile. You might be surprised by all the things you can use them for around your home. Enjoy trying out all these new tasks!
The explanation on how to clear snow using a leaf blower was very informative.
Thank you, Ricky! Leaf blowers are indeed versatile tools, and I’m glad you found the information helpful. From clearing snow to drying off your car, they can be quite handy for various tasks. Enjoy using your leaf blower!
Using a leaf blower for drying off a car is such a time-saver!
Thank you for sharing your experience with using a leaf blower to dry off a car! It’s amazing how versatile these devices can be. Have you tried using it for any other tasks around the house?
Can a leaf blower be used for cleaning gutters too?
Yes, a leaf blower can be used to clean gutters too! It’s a versatile tool with many practical applications. Give it a try!
I’m amazed at how versatile a leaf blower can be!
Thanks for your insight, Eddie! It’s fascinating to see how many different ways a leaf blower can be used beyond just clearing leaves. Happy blowing!
This article was very informative about the different ways to use a leaf blower.
Thank you for your kind words, Serenity! I’m glad you found the article informative. Leaf blowers have so many versatile uses beyond just clearing leaves. Hope you can make the most of yours!
This article opened my eyes to the potential of using a leaf blower for multiple tasks around the house.
Thank you, Raymond! I’m glad the article sparked new ideas for you. Leaf blowers are indeed versatile tools that can be used for various tasks around the house. Enjoy exploring all their potential uses!