Aside from the fact that leaves can be rather unsightly on your al fresco, having your deck peppered with leaves can leave lasting marks or even heavy damage on your outdoor room. To save yourself the hassle, leaves should be one of the things you should plan ahead for. Here are some pointers.

Leaf Stains

When left for a long time on your deck (usually after being away from home for a long period of time) you might notice some stains where there were a bunch of leaves before you swept them away. These leaf stains are usually left on your alfresco due to the tannins drained away from the leaves upon getting wet – usually by rainwater.

This shouldn’t pose a problem if you have a sealed al fresco – any stains you find will fade away within a few weeks on a finished deck. For unfinished decks, however, it’s best that you clean up immediately – just make sure you do so according to your patio’s materials. If unsure, you can consult with the contractors who worked on your patio, or find a trusted builder who can help you out.

To keep yourself from worrying about leaf stains ever again, you can also have a professional help you out with treating your deck. This way you won’t have to worry about leaf stains whenever you leave your outdoor room for a time.

Using a Leafblower

For some, using a leafblower is a lot easier than sweeping. If you do have one, or can get your hands on one easily, I’d also recommend the use of one. It’s fast and easy to use, and doesn’t damage your patio.

If you’re using a leafblower for the first time, here are some things to watch out for:

Safety first – Since you would be pushing things around with air at high speeds, you would need safety gear. Goggles, overalls, gloves and earmuffs are your best bet in operating a leafblower.

Dry up – The best time to use your leafblower would be when everything has dried up. You don’t want to go to town on wet leaves; they’re heavier, are prone to sticking on surfaces, and may even cause damage if you’re not careful. Pick a dry, sunny day without much wind to use your leafblower.

Set goals – And by goals, I mean set up a tarp or sheet where you want to use as a “target” to bring your leaves towards. This will make hauling the leaves easier after.

Or you could do what this guy did and just use a drone as a leaf blower.

Now What?

Now that you’ve got all your leaves together in one or two bags, you’re probably thinking of dumping it along with your other rubbish. Sure you could do that, but if you really want to make the most of those leaves (you’ve already taken the effort to round them up and bag them anyway) you could take the little extra effort to shred them – that way they’ll be perfect for your plants as mulch or a compost.