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The Best Shortcut to Outdoor Fall Clean-Up

Learn how to have an outdoor space and yard you can be proud of. We’re sharing our easy and fast outdoor fall clean-up tips.

Disclaimer: This post is brought to you by Ryobi. Thanks for supporting the brands that support this blog.

We live in North Carolina so the weather is pretty mild throughout the entire fall season and sometimes even into the beginning of winter.

Since we have beautiful autumn weather we love to spend time outdoors.

But our leaves do still fall…and they have to be cleaned up!

We’re so excited to partner with Ryobi to get both of our yards looking GREAT!

Where to Start with Outdoor Fall Clean-Up

two women standing in yard with trees behind one woman holding chainsaw other wearing backpack blower

Both of our homes have woods behind and some natural areas on our properties that need to be cleaned up in the fall.

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about outdoor fall clean-up?

I bet you said LEAVES!

I mean they’re everywhere…not only on the lawn but in the flowerbeds and natural areas of our yards.

Oh, and don’t forget on our back decks, patios and pool areas too!

What Outdoor Tools Did We Use

backpack blower and chainsaw sitting on pine needles in natural area in yard surrounded by pine trees

This post includes some affiliate links which means we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read our full disclosure policy here.

Ryobi sent us the 40V Brushless Backpack Blower and the 40V 16″ Brushless Chainsaw.

Let’s talk a little bit about the outdoor tools we received first.

Thanks to Ryobi, we’ve learned some more about outdoor tools recently!

So of course we wanna share what we learned with you.

Because that’s what friends do, right?

Have you ever heard of brushless motor technology?

That was a new term to us too, but it’s been popular in cordless tools for a few years.

So what does it mean?

Basically, the motor adjusts according to the task. The more resistance the tool feels, the more power it gives.

Pretty cool, huh?!

We love that Ryobi uses a rechargeable battery for their cordless tools! It makes them easy to use, lightweight, and good for our environment.

How to Clean-Up Natural Areas and Flowerbeds

woman using backpack blower in natural area around tree

The Ryobi backpack blower makes easy work of leaf removal in natural areas around trees.

It’s hard to not to rake up the mulch with the leaves!

But this blower is strong enough to lift the leaves while leaving the mulch intact.

Getting under and around shrubs is so much easier with a blower too!

It’s important to remove leaves in natural areas and in flowerbeds so they don’t become matted over the winter and cause plants to suffer during the next growing season.

Did you know shredded leaves provide insulation but don’t mold like whole leaves can?

Once the leaves are removed you can mulch them and place them back around trees and shrubs.

Leaves on Lawns: To Remove or Not Remove

woman walking through grass with back pack blower fall clean-up blowing leaves to woods

Well that depends on the amount of leaves on your lawn.

Just like shredded leaves around trees and shrubs provide insulation, leaving a small number of shredded leaves on your lawn is good for it.

In AnnMarie’s front yard there aren’t as many leaves so her husband just mulches any leaves with the lawn mower.

The shredded leaves provide nutrients to the lawn.

But in Anne’s side yard there are a ton of leaves!

Because there are so many leaves it’s best to blow them into the woods rather than mulching with the lawn mower and leaving them on the grass.

Pruning Trees during Fall Clean-Up

maple tree with low limbs and new limbs growing from bottom in front yard

Fall is a great time of year to remove lower hanging limbs from your trees.

Pruning trees during fall clean-up is a quick and easy task with the Ryobi cordless chainsaw.

As you can probably tell this small maple tree in AnnMarie’s front yard needs a bit of clean-up.

woman cutting small limbs on tree

AnnMarie always trims her shrubs with a super heavy gas powered hedgetrimmer but this was her first time using a chainsaw.

And she had so much fun!

The cordless chainsaw was really lightweight and so easy to use.

She had the tree pruned in no time at all!

maple tree in front yard after pruning limbs with chainsaw

It looks so much better doesn’t it?

Do you need anything cut down in your yard?

If so I know a couple of moms who would love to use the chainsaw again!

Keep Outdoor Living Spaces Ready

back deck covered in fallen leaves with outdoor sectional sofa and table in corner of deck

AnnMarie added an outdoor tv and a new sectional couch to her back deck this summer.

Her family enjoys hanging outside on Sundays watching the Steelers play football.

And sometimes we have game night out there too because if you follow us on Instagram you may have seen our Sequence nights with our husbands.

It’s always girls vs guys!

And so much fun!

Have you ever played Sequence?

During the fall, we have to keep the deck clear of fallen leaves before enjoying this space.

Plus it helps create a beautiful outdoor living area.

woman using backpack leaf blower to remove leaves from deck

Leaves aren’t the only thing that covers AnnMarie’s deck.

Her dog Marley is a sun worshiper and she also sheds like a beast!

The blower easily gets all the leaves and dog hair off the deck so it’s cleaned up and ready for the next gathering.

outdoor sectional with cushions throw pillows and throw blanket. snacks in tray on coffee table and small pumpkin in front of table

These Ryobi outdoor tools are by far the BEST shortcut to your outdoor fall clean-up.

We were able to get both of our yards and outdoor living areas looking their absolute best in a fraction of the time.

Other Ryobi Outdoor Tools

Click on any image to shop items from this post

If you have any questions or suggestions, contact us or leave a comment!

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