|
 Outdoor
Tools and Equipment –
You Actually Need Very
Little
By Dan Fenstemaker,
Inventor of the Original
INTELETOOL
If you go to a typical
home and garden store,
you may get the
impression you need
dozens of tools to keep
your home in good shape.
After all, there are
literally thousands of
outdoor tools and other
pieces of equipment for
sale. Well, you simply
don’t.
I love to do small jobs
that make a big
difference. Granted,
some big repairs can’t
be avoided, but I am
going to give you what
is probably considered
the three most basic
outdoor improvements you
can make with the
biggest return, and they
require very few outdoor
tools or no equipment.
Spruce Up Your Yard
1. Edging. With a
decent manual or power
edger, you can make your
yard look noticeably
nicer in just a few
minutes. Edging your
sidewalks and driveway
is one of those things
that is so simple, yet
makes such a great
visual improvement.
Clean lines make a whole
yard look cleaner and
crisper, and the only
thing you’re doing is
clipping blades of grass
in a straight line!
Tools needed? A lawn
edger. And you can spend
as little as $20 or up
to $400 for a new one.
For twenty bucks and
about 10 minutes, your
yard can look much more
manicured than ever
before.
Better yet, buy a weed
whacker that can both
edge your walks and
driveway and also trim
high grass along fences
and brick work. It’s
that easy.
2. Weeding and
Trimming. Another
yard-sprucing-up
technique is simple
weeding and trimming.
When you hear this, you
may question the word
“simple” as you conjure
up negative pictures of
big, time consuming
jobs. But, actually, if
a little weeding and
trimming happens each
week, you very seldom,
if ever need to
experience long, hard
work.
The key is to do a
little bit a lot of
times. Yep. That’s the
key. When a yard or
landscaping bed is
overgrown with weeds,
you’re in for some work,
but if you pull just a
few weeds out each week,
there are far less to
pull, and they come out
easily because they
haven’t had time to grow
deep, tough roots.
Trimming can also be
easy if you don’t let
hedges, bushes and trees
get out of control. It’s
amazing how the
identical home can look
amazingly better with
well trimmed bushes and
shrubs. It not only
makes your landscaping
look better, it makes
the whole house look
better. Well maintained
landscaping somehow
transfers to the actual
house. It’s that simple.
Tools needed? Not much.
There are a few
variations on the
standard hand-tool
weeder, and you can
spend as little as $5
and up to $30. Newer
“twister” designs and
even stand-up designs
with foot plungers make
weeding easier, and will
cost you just a little
more.
For trimming, you have a
whole host of options,
but you don’t have to
spend a lot. Basic
pruners and clippers are
inexpensive, and again,
the key is to keep on
top of the growth.
De-Clutter Your Yard
I’ve always been amazed
how the beauty of a
property can be improved
by simply keeping it
clean and clutter free.
Garden hoses, yard
knick-knacks, and other
stuff lying around makes
a yard look cheap and
poorly maintained. Even
simply sweeping or
blowing away leaves,
clippings and other
debris makes a driveway,
garage floor or sidewalk
surprisingly more
beautiful in just
moments.
Tools Needed? Well, you
might invest in a decent
quality gas blower. I
did almost 20 years ago
(won’t mention the
brand, but my
father-in-law convinced
me to buy good quality
and I’m really glad I
did.)
Even if I barely move
anything in my garage,
just taking two minutes
to blow out dust and
leaves off the garage
floor makes the whole
thing look better. And
taking three minutes to
blow the grass clippings
and other stuff off my
driveway and sidewalks
does the same thing. A
good blower can cost you
$300 or more, but like I
mentioned, I’ve had mine
for twenty years and I
love it.
Other than a blower,
de-cluttering your yard
just requires you and
maybe a broom. And, as
you can see from above,
edging, trimming,
weeding and basic
de-cluttering takes
surprisingly little
investment by way of
outdoor tools and
equipment, so save your
money, consistently put
in little bits of labor,
and you will keep your
yard both beautiful and
inviting to everyone
passing by.
---
Dan Fenstemaker is an
outdoor tools and
equipment expert. For more great
information on
outdoor tools and
equipment, visit
http://www.inteletool.com. |
