HauerTo: Make Raking and Cleaning Up Fallen Leaves Less of a Chore

Ah, fall—the season of cozy sweaters, pumpkin spice, and… raking up a mountain of leaves. Seriously, why do trees have to shed their entire wardrobe all over your lawn? Fear not! I’ve got three life hacks to make raking and cleaning up those fallen leaves feel a little less like a workout and more like, well, a slightly easier workout.

1. Tarp It Like a Pro Forget trying to fill up 50 bags one handful at a time—grab a tarp! Lay it on the ground before you start raking and rake the leaves right onto it. When it’s full, just drag the whole thing to your compost pile or curb. Boom, no heavy lifting! Bonus points if you make it a race—how fast can you fill it up?

2. Use the Mower, Not Your Muscles Why rake every little leaf when your mower can do the hard work? Just mow over the leaves, and your trusty machine will mulch them into tiny bits. Mulched leaves break down faster, plus they’re great for your lawn. It’s basically free fertilizer—and a lot more fun than battling a rake.

3. Team Up with Your Leaf Blower Okay, we all know the leaf blower is loud, but let’s admit it—it’s also super satisfying. Use it to gather all your leaves into one giant pile, then rake from there. It’s like starting the race halfway through! Less back-and-forth, more leaf domination.

There you have it—three hacks to make fall cleanup a breeze! Just don’t forget to jump into that leaf pile at least once before bagging it up. You’ve earned it!