You know how to rake leaves, but what do you do once you have everything in a pile? How do you easily transport it into a trash can or your composting bin?

Well, they make claws and all kinds of implements for picking up leaves — or you can just use a tarp.

Joe Truini empties leaves out of a tarp into a trash can.
This simple tarp modification makes raking and collecting leaves easier — and faster — than ever.

Grab a 4-by-8-foot tarp, fold it in half, and then roll it up and staple wooden dowels on the ends.

Just lay the tarp right in front of your pile of leaves and rake everything right on it.

When the tarp is folded, it can hold a surprisingly large amount of leaves, grass clippings and twigs.

And with the handles, you can pick it right up!

Without the dowels, the tarp is really floppy and all the leaves would fall out.

Put the handles together and then just easily dump the leaves right into the garbage can.

And that’s how easy it is to rake leaves and remove them from your yard!

Watch the video above to see the Simple Solution!


Editorial Contributors
avatar for Joe Truini

Joe Truini

Radio Show Co-Host

Joe Truini is a contractor, author, and the host of “Simple Solutions” on Today’s Homeowner TV and the weekly Today’s Homeowner radio show. He has worked on both large commercial projects and residential remodeling, and has written for national publications such as This Old House and Popular Mechanics. He has also written eight books, including three best-selling shed-building books. Joe lives in Connecticut with his family and enjoys hiking, traveling, and baseball in his spare time.

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