Spring Rake clearing leaves off a lawn

10 Essential Fall Clean Up Tools

Everything You Need For Fall Cleanup

As the summer comes to a close, trees channel their inner chameleons and begin showing their hidden colors. While caught in the middle of enjoying the natural wonder, it’s easily forgotten that all this natural beauty will soon end up on the ground. Yes, the season of raking leaves is upon us. Yards, sidewalks, driveways, and more will all be covered and those lazy trees have left all the fall clean up for us. You already know that rakes are the first tool we all think of this time of year, but what about everything else? Here’s a list of everything after the rake that will help you un-bury your grass this fall.

1. Snow Shovel

The shovel you use to clear your driveway in the winter is a great tool for the fall season too. Once your leaves are all gathered in a heap, scoop them up with your trusty snow pusher. The motion will feel natural, and much easier than the awkward rake-claw action you’ve always tried with the traditional tool. Fortunately for you, there is still plenty of time before those icy flakes come to blanket your lawn.

2. Leaf Blower

A leaf blower is essentially an air-powered broom when you really think about it. Blowers push your leaves into a smaller area so the final raking is much easier. Whether you choose gas, corded, or cordless, be sure you choose the right size for your needs. You’ll save not only time but also your own energy for other important tasks. Like watching the football game with the hour you just spared yourself.

3. Cleanup Bags

All those leaves you just raked need to go somewhere. Contractor bags are the easiest way to hold all your yard waste. They are built tougher than standard kitchen bags, so they won’t completely shred from a few sharp twigs clawing from the inside. You wouldn’t want all your hard work to end up right back on the grass because your bag couldn’t take a few scrapes.

4. Kangaroo Container

If you can’t stomach throwing away plastic bags along with your leaves, many towns also collect leaves from reusable containers. Dump your leaves in the laundry-style basket, leave it at the end of your driveway, and the garbage collector dumps the loose leaves into the truck. You keep the basket and refill it for next week, and the next, and so on. No waste. What’s not to want?

5. Garbage Can

If the spring basket isn’t your cup of tea, perhaps a traditional garbage can is what you need. The Rubbermaid Brute 55-gallon can is a veteran of yard cleanup ventures. The wide brim gives a large opening for dumping leaves, twigs, grass, or any other garden waste. You can line it with your contractor bags or just fill it to bare. Leave it at the end of your drive just like the Kangaroo Container and still avoid all the plastic waste. Plus, it makes a great garage trash for the rest of the year.

6. Pruner

As you bag leaves, you will undoubtedly encounter sticks much too long to reasonably fit in the garbage bag or bin. Folding them or snapping them by hand is one solution, but can end with them snapping back and taking up even more space. They can also get razor-sharp points certain to leave gashes in the thin plastic. A hand pruner is a much better option. Cut unwanted branches cleanly, without any spear points left to get caught.

7. Mulcher

As they say in the pro world, “work smarter, not harder”. The Worx Leaf Mulcher is your yardwork solution for working smarter and faster. The machine holds a bag on the bottom, while you dump leaves in through the top. A spinning line shreds the leaves so they take up less space, letting you pack more in. Save time, bags, and your sanity.

8. Chain Saw

All those leaves gone makes it really easy to trim pesky low branches without anything getting in your way. A chainsaw is the fastest way to prune your yard. Gas saws run longer, but electric and cordless are better in residential areas while providing all the power you need. A shorter bar is all you’ll need for small trimming jobs. If you want to know more, go read all about choosing the right chainsaw.

9. Pull Saw

Hand saws are an old standby, and they’re a great option for times when a chainsaw is overkill. Pull saws are aggressive cutters to efficiently slice through small to medium branches. A folding saw has all the cutting ability you need, then folds up for space-saving and safety after you finish.

10. Wheelbarrow

When you have lots of leaves to pick up, it leads to a lot of trips between the backyard and the driveway. Loading your leaf bags into a wheelbarrow lets you carry several on each trip with much less strain on your back and shoulders. A few companies, such as Makita, offer power-assisted wheelbarrows for the really heavy jobs. Just pull the throttle and steer while the motors help with the pushing.


Planning even further ahead on the calendar? Check out our must-have snow removal tools, as well as our blog for even more inspiration! No matter the weather forecast, acmetools.com has all the tools you need for all your chores.

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