“Plow” the Leaves With Cardboard
Raking the leaves is a pain in the ass. It’s time-consuming, wet, cold, and can even cause allergies . You have to do it, but this task is so tedious that people have come up with many hacks and gadgets to help you do it more efficiently. You can collect the leaves with plastic or use a tarp or blanket to transport them. But one method has been gaining popularity in recent years that uses something you probably already have lying around and want to get rid of: cardboard.
How to plow leaves with cardboard
Instead of going to the store for a big piece of plastic to be stored somewhere in an already crowded garage along with that minimally efficient rake, you can use cardboard to plow through the leaves. This advice is everywhere, from Bob Vila to PopSugar and, for some reason, Geico .
One reason for the popularity of this trick is that you almost certainly have a cardboard box right now, and if not, chances are you will have one soon. Whether you love Amazon or hate it, the online shopping revolution has surely reached your home, and you know that means an abundance of boxes. Take the big one and do the following:
- Determine the largest piece of cardboard, which is probably the longer side panel.
- Cut off the flaps
- Cut off the side corners of the box
- Remove two large pieces
Congratulations, you’ve made a plow. The next part is very simple: you press the flat piece of cardboard to the ground and push it across the yard. The leaves will pile up on top of the board and you can push them towards the tarp, blanket or bag that is waiting for them. Here is a video demonstrating how it’s done:
Some catches
If it rained in your area and your lawn or leaves are wet, your cardboard will inevitably get wet too, which will gradually weaken it. This is best done on dry or slightly damp leaves, although cutting a large box is nice because you create multiple plows. If and when your first piece of cardboard gets too wet to work with, simply replace it.
This will affect the recyclability of your cardboard. According to Green Matters , you should dry wet cardboard before attempting to recycle it, but check with your local recycling center if you need it at all, because water destroys some of the key fibers and can make cardboard unrecyclable. You can also cut and compost the cardboard, which is twice as easy if you already compost the leaves.