Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers

Steer Clear of Fall Clean-Up Pitfalls

While your family admires the colorful leaves of autumn, do you see only the hard work of raking, bagging, and burning ahead? If so, you may be making one of the four biggest mistakes of fall cleanup.

To help you get the most out of fall, the following details four common mistakes that people make. Avoid these identified pitfalls for the easiest fall and greenest spring ever.

1. Bagging or burning your fall clean-up debris.
This year, instead of bagging or burning debris, use a walk-behind mower or tractor equipped with a mulch kit to recycle the dead leaves that cover your lawn into home-produced mulch.

2. Waiting until spring to fertilize.
Fall is the single best time of the year to feed lawns. During the fall, top growth of the leaves slows, but the underground growth of roots and rhizomes increases. A specialized fertilizer will help your lawn green up earlier next spring.

3. Neglecting to prepare equipment for the winter.
Take the energy you've saved by mulching rather than raking, and invest in preparing your outdoor power equipment before tucking it away for the winter. Drain the fuel, change the oil, lubricate the chassis, sharpen the blades, and check the belts. You'll be ready to go when spring arrives.

4. Making lawn-care harder work than need be.
If you haven't checked out the latest in tractors and lawn mowers, you may not realize how helpful the new machinery can be on your back and work load.

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