On a smaller lawn, you can use a lawn blower or your shop vacuum. Both are effective for removing debris, as long as you use a lower setting so you don’t disturb the infill that supports the blades of grass. Sand and sand mix infills are lighter than pea gravel or crumb rubber and may shift or be sucked up into the vacuum if too much force is used.
Before you begin to clear the lawn, test a few areas to determine whether or not the infill is solid enough for the amount of force you need to use. If not, choose a different tool.
Lawn Rakes
Lawn rakes with baggers that attach to riding lawn mowers are ideal for larger lawns. They will easily remove leaves and other types of small debris without disrupting the infill. The soft brushes of the rake will also fluff the blades and pull debris that may have settled deeper into the turf. Smaller lawn rakes can be used manually but may not be as effective, and they will have to be emptied more often than the larger versions. Or, you could bag the debris the old-fashioned way – by hand.
Using a stiff-tined, hand rake to comb through the infill will prevent it from becoming compacted. Raking allows air to permeate, helping keep the infill dry and preventing odors from building up. Raking also straightens the blades of grass so they don’t become matted in high traffic areas.
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