Six More Things You Can Do With a Leaf Blower
Love them or hate them, leaf blowers are undeniably effective: They’ve transformed the chore of clearing leaves from your yard from a backbreaking chore to a (very noisy) stroll. And while it’s true that old-school gas leaf blowers were panned as noisy, polluting disasters, these days you can get a clean, battery-powered model that won’t ruin your relationship with your neighbors while actively wreaking havoc on the climate.
And you may have good reason to. While leaf blowers seem like simple, disposable tools (you know, for blowing leaves into piles), they’re far more versatile. By my count, my leaf blower is actually at least six tools in one.
Gutter cleaner
Your home’s gutters protect your property by diverting rainwater away from your foundation and walls. But to continue doing so, gutters need maintenance and regular cleaning to keep them from becoming clogged with leaves, bird nests, and other debris.
Cleaning gutters can be a dangerous and dirty job — or you can buy yourself a gutter cleaning kit that attaches to your leaf blower. Using a leaf blower this way keeps your feet firmly on the ground, keeps you away from mulch and moisture that collects in your gutters, and makes the job much faster because you don’t have to move your ladder every five minutes.
Snow shovel
Clearing snow from your sidewalk, driveway, and other areas of your property can cause back strain , heart attacks , and a generally gloomy outlook on the world in general. But if you have a leaf blower, you don’t need a shovel. Leaf blowers are surprisingly effective at removing snow as long as it’s relatively dry and loose—though if the snow is packed and wet, you’ll still probably need a shovel to get it out. But if you see a lot of fresh, light snow, this leaf blower will make short work of it .
Portable dehumidifier
Leaf blowers are simple — they blow air out one end and that’s it. That means yours can double as a portable air dryer. Just washed your car and don’t want to spend the next half hour drying it by hand? A leaf blower will gently dry it for you . Got guests over and your patio furniture is damp? A leaf blower to the rescue. In fact, just about anything, anywhere that collects water, can be quickly dried with a leaf blower.
Filter cleaner
Do you have a vacuum cleaner, furnace, or other filter that’s clogged with dirt to the point of being unusable? Cleaning it will make the machine it’s plugged into work better, but it’s a chore: shaking it out isn’t very thorough, and rinsing it with water means you’ll need to give it time to dry before you can reinstall it. So use a leaf blower to blow that filter out in seconds and get it back in working order.
Warning: Some people suggest using a leaf blower to clean the dryer vent . While this may seem effective, it’s also a bad idea : The leaf blower can compact the lint inside the vent, making it less efficient and increasing the risk of fire. Continue cleaning these filters with another method.
Seed spreader
Need to seed your lawn but don’t have much time? Buy a seed spreader attachment for your leaf blower (this is a real thing, I’m not making this up). It’s great for dispersing seed (or herbicide, or manure pellets, or anything else you want to spread over a large area) quickly and efficiently. (You can even make your own with a drill, a saw, a plastic bottle or funnel, and some duct tape.)
Wire threader
If you’ve ever tried to thread a wire through a pipeline, you know there’s a certain amount of black magic involved—even the simplest of pipelines can make you feel like you’re leading through an alternate dimension where the laws of physics don’t apply. But with your trusty leaf blower and a plastic bag, you can thread that wire through a pipeline in seconds: Attach the wire to a standard lightweight plastic bag, lower it into one end of the pipeline, and let your leaf blower blow the bag right through to the other end.