Shortcuts to Make Yard Work Easier

A beautiful yard is the reward of work well done, but what happens when the work required is beyond your capabilities? While there are individuals who enjoy the muscle-straining tasks that result in a beautiful yard, many still are not that fond of it. For many of us, the physical tasks of keeping a yard beautiful and healthy can be a physical impossibility. Also, it can be especially difficult for those with arthritis and other conditions that, unfortunately, tend to get worse with age.

Considering these factors, there are tools and tips available that can help take the hard work out of yard work. Next time your yard needs some maintenance; refer back to the following suggestions that can help take the pain and frustration out of yard work.

Tools to Make Your Yard Work Easier

Take advantage of tools that are designed to make yard work easier. Some innovations to keep an eye out for are tools that include longer handles and padded handgrips. These specifications can make yard work easier. Some of the most helpful tools that you can find on the market include:

Steppin Edger (Hound Dog Products)

If you cannot stand that sight of a raggedy looking lawn and overgrown garden edgings this tool could be a big help. Traditional garden edgers can be hard on your back, your knees and your shoulders. The Steppin Edger is specially designed to use your natural walking motion to trim the edges of your lawn and flower beds easily and more naturally, without putting a strain on your muscles. The rocker blade allows you to just roll forward and let your weight do the hard work, and the ergonomic handle will make the job easy on your hands as well.

Battery Powered Sprayer

Many home-owners love their day lilies and irises, but hate the thought of spraying them on a consistent basis. The battery powered sprayer allows you to spray any area on your yard because it is cordless. No more dragging a cord through your yard and around corners harming other plants in its path. The battery powered sprayer makes it a breeze keep flowers and other plants healthy and bug free. Also, the battery powered sprayer has a comfortable and convenient shoulder strap so no energy is wasted bending down to spray, and, since the machine is battery powered, no energy is wasted pumping the sprayer too.

Awesome Auger

Digging holes for posts and aerating your lawn is much easier when you have the correct tools. The Awesome Auger, as advertised on infomercials, is the right tool for many jobs. The spiral design of the blades gives the auger bit a real bite to dig into dirt at record speed. It even chews right through tree roots and heavy clay soil. You just need a good heavy-duty drill to back it up with some power.

Take the Easy Way Out

There are easier ways to do things that you are used to doing around the yard. In addition to choosing ergonomically designed tools with long handles, you can also change the way that you approach tasks to make them less wearing on your body.

Stand Up. Whenever possible, do tasks standing up. Instead of bending and standing to pick up trash around the yard, use a nail driven into the bottom of a stick as a make-shift trash picker. Choose gardening tools with longer handles so that you don't have to bend over to reach.

Use a dolly or hand truck at the store. Or better yet, let them load it for you. Loading heavy bags of soil and mulch into your shopping cart or trunk can put a strain on your back. Most gardening supply stores have flatbed trucks and dollies to make it easier to load your purchases, and nearly all will happily load your purchases into your car - or even deliver them. Make sure you arrange for help at the other end of the journey, too.

Transport tools and supplies in a kiddie wagon. Instead of carrying everything around or running back and forth to the shed, load all the supplies you'll need into your kids' old wagon and pull it along with you. If you don't have one, you can pick one up at most stores or second hand for just a few dollars. It may be the most valuable few dollars you ever spend.

Sit down on the job. When you need to do close up work like weeding, using a low stool instead of sitting on the ground or kneeling is a great way to avoid injury. By using a stool, getting up is much easier on your back. There are some great gardening stools available on the market, including some with tool caddies and ergonomic support.

Raise the issue. Instead of bending over, try bringing things up to your level. Raised flower beds and container gardens are a good compromise, and much easier on your back than ground level gardening.