ShareThisBy ANNA WALLNER and KRISTINA MATISIC
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Watching the autumn leaves turn color is one of the season's most beautiful sights, but raking them up off your lawn is often less than enjoyable. In an act of goodwill (and in the name of research) we spent the day going door to door on a quiet, though leafy, residential street offering our landscaping services, all in an effort to scoop up the best rake. Here's what we found:
_Raking for half an hour burns about 100 calories. Don't make the job harder than it needs to be. Be sure to lift the rake in the store. Anything too heavy will be exhausting. Check the rake's height as well. Anything too short will leave you hunched over, which can lead to back pain.
_ A bamboo rake is light and easy to use and is good for delicate areas. But bamboo just isn't practical if you live somewhere rainy. It doesn't have the strength to maneuver heavy wet leaves.
_ Rakes come in a variety of widths. While a wider rake will help you bring in more leaves at once, it will be difficult to use in your garden's nooks and crannies.
_ Look for a rake with some spring. The bounce will help you with the next pull. Anything stiff will be more difficult to use and it can rip up your lawn.
_ Leaving your raking until late in the season? Plastic tines can snap in the cold weather.
_ We don't like aluminum rakes. The sharp tines end up stabbing more leaves than they pick up, they can be hard on the lawn, and aluminum makes a dreadful sound when it hits concrete.
_ Our favorite rake is one that is ergonomically correct with wide plastic anti-clog tines. It make the job both easier and faster.
(Anna Wallner and Kristina Matisic host The Shopping Bags on Fine Living TV Network. Contact them at www.fineliving.com. For more columns visit www.scrippsnews.com)
