For all the convenience leaf blowers provide, the outdoor power tool is not without its controversy. There are even those who say a leaf blower should never be used, including my old boss, Martha Stewart (I worked at her magazine for a couple of years back in the 2000s). One of her concerns is that using a leaf blower for its primary job of clearing leaves from the yard can impact the habitat of overwintering insects, which are beneficial for butterflies, bees, and other pollinators.
Fortunately, you don’t have to choose between a leaf-free yard and supporting pollinators. Planting a diverse flower garden filled with native species and limiting the use of pesticides are great ways to have both. But there are other controversial uses for leaf blowers that I do object to, mainly because they’re dangerous.
Here are the top five “bad idea” uses for a leaf blower, from our team in the Good Housekeeping Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab, as well as other industry pros.
Cleaning the roof or gutters
Operating a leaf blower from a roof or ladder is a massive safety hazard, especially when the surfaces are slick. Besides causing physical harm, the force of the leaf blower could wreck your roof by causing its shingles to lift and crack, or by blowing off the tiny granules that help protect the asphalt from sunlight and harsh weather. If you want to use the leaf blower on your gutters, consider buying a gutter cleaning kit, like this version from ECHO, with its 15-foot attachment that lets you clear away leaves and debris from the ground.
Clearing leaves from garden beds
While I’m OK using a leaf blower to clear leaves from the lawn, I wouldn’t aim the power tool at your garden beds. That’s because the force of the air can strip away essential topsoil, as well as any mulch coverings that provide important insulation over the winter. It can also upset the balance of soil microbes that help nourish plants throughout the year.
Blowing out a job site
The dust from drywall, concrete, and other building materials contains silica and other fine particles that are bad for your lungs. Using a leaf blower to clean up a job site will kick these particles into the air, making you and others more susceptible to their harmful effects.
Sweeping gravel surfaces
Some leaf blowers from our tests have air speeds approaching 200 miles per hour. That’s enough force to send gravel and even small stones flying into the air, where the projectiles can damage property or cause injury to any unsuspecting bystanders. Speaking of which, any time you use a leaf blower, make sure there’s no one nearby. “At a minimum, keep all children, bystanders, and pets outside of a 50-foot radius while operating any leaf blowers,” advises Jason Wilk, senior product manager at ECHO Inc.
Dealing with wet leaves
This one is more about bad timing. It’s never a good idea to operate a leaf blower when it’s raining or when the yard is wet from recent weather. Stuck-on leaves are a pain to remove, so you and the leaf blower will have to work harder than necessary. It’s even worse to run a blower in vacuum mode (available on many models), since the wet matter can clog the fan, making the machine less effective and potentially damaging its motor.
Having written thousands of product reviews and how-to articles on all aspects of home ownership, from routine maintenance to major renovations, Dan (he/him) brings more than 20 years of industry experience to his role as the director of the Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute. A one-time roofer and a serial remodeler, Dan can often be found keeping house at his restored Brooklyn brownstone, where he lives with his wife and kids.
