The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, Inc.

Sound Advice On Using Leaf Blowers

(MS) -- How do you put the finishing touches on your just-mowed lawn? Get out your trusty leaf blower. Besides moving mounds of fall leaves, it's a great tool for those finishing touches like blowing grass off pavement and dislodging matted grass, as well as a great way to save time on spring cleanup jobs like blowing leaves from around shrubs and cleaning out gutters.

When you use your leaf blower to give that extra polish to your landscape, be sure to keep neighborhood courtesy in mind. Check with your city about any ordinances that apply to hours of leaf blower use and run it at reasonable hours -- not to early and not too late.

You can also reduce the sound of your leaf blower by lowering the throttle speed and by using special nozzle attachments designed to reduce sound levels even further. You'll want to read your blower's operating instructions or check with your local power equipment dealer about the availability of nozzle attachments that are appropriate for your blower model.

If you're still using that old blower you bought back in the 1980's, you may want to consider buying a new one. New advances in engine design have resulted in leaf blowers that not only run quietly, but more efficiently as well. Exhaust emissions from today's small two-cycle engines have been reduced by 90 percent from what they were as recently as 1996. In addition to engine redesign, newly designed exhaust systems and internal baffles have reduced sound levels. In some cases, new leaf blowers may be 75 percent quieter than older blowers. Today, there are many types of leaf blowers available to meet homeowner needs from lightweight hand-held blowers tto rugged backpack designs.

Courtesy is important, but safety should always be first. No matter what the size of your lawn or the kind of leaf blower you have, always take care to operate it safely.

Remember:

Read the manual completely before operating
Wear proper hearing and eye protection
Do not allow anyone -- especially children -- into the work area and make sure that you do not point the leaf blower nozzle in the direction of people or pets.

For more information about leaf blowers, who makes them and where to purchase them, visit the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute Web site at www.opei.org and click on the "Who Makes That?" section.