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The cascade of orange, yellow, and red leaves is a beautiful and much-anticipated sight in the fall — driving past countless trees in the height of their fall foliage is nothing short of a delight. Yet, that excitement can quickly dampen when you go home and find your yard fully inundated with fallen leaves. However, did you know that you can use a rake shovel to clean up your lawn fast?
While a traditional rake is an essential gardening tool, a rake shovel can be a game-changer for your fall leaf cleanup. The name can sound deceptive because you may be used to either using a shovel for snow or a rake for leaves. Interestingly, a rake shovel is a bit of both. It contains small points or prongs underneath the shovel’s surface that help it glide across the lawn. This unique tool is designed to move like a shovel but clean up leaves like a rake, and it makes cleaning your leaf-laden yard a breeze.
What a rake shovel can do
Rake Assassin
Removing leaves from your garden is an important way to care for your lawn. One of the biggest benefits of using a rake shovel to do so is that it is efficient and fast. It’s designed to quickly and easily remove leaves from your yard. It can also gather stray debris from the grass and even pick up weeds. Its wide, flat head and sturdy handle make it easy to scoop up large quantities of leaves in a single pass, saving you time and effort compared to a traditional rake. Then, you can quickly and easily dispose of the leaves, reducing the number of trips to the garbage can or compost pile.
In addition to its ability to help clean up faster, a rake shovel is more gentle than a typical rake, which has tines that turn down and press into the soil. The soft, flexible tines of a rake shovel enable it to slide across the grass. This means it won’t damage your lawn, chop up your soil, or leave unsightly tracks behind.
Tips for using a rake shovel to clean up fall leaves
ML Tools
There are several types of rake shovels on the market. The ML Tools 3- in-1 garden tool is a rake, shovel, and sieve all wrapped into one. It retails for about $40 and boasts the ability to pick up everything from pine cones to fallen fruit, something a traditional rake cannot do. At just two pounds, it is a lightweight garden tool.
Then, at the $55 price point, The Rake Assassin Combo Tool has a 15-inch wide head — which allows it to gather a large amount of leaves at once. It can also pick up chestnuts, pinecones, and rocks.
Before using a rake shovel, or even a rake or snow shovel for that matter, it helps to wear gloves to protect your hands from stray twigs and branches as well as blisters that could occur from gripping the stick. When attacking a yard filled with leaves, it’s best to work in sections. Divide your yard into sections and then work on one at a time. This helps you stay organized and ensures you don’t miss any spots.
