(ARA) – With green grass finally showing after a cold winter, it’s time to start getting your lawn ready for spring. Spring means cleaning tools, replacing equipment and sprucing up the yard. To start your season off greener, consider using electric or cordless lawn care products.
“Electric products have become a reliable and eco-friendly way to do yard work,” says Coey Genuise, product marketing manager for Remington, a leading manufacturer of cordless and electric power tools. “They are virtually silent, lighter, more energy efficient and don’t require any gas or oil, which avoids mess and hassle and saves you money.”
Mowing is an important step in keeping your lawn healthy. In order to keep it as green as possible, use an electric or cordless mower. These mowers are less expensive to maintain and operate because there’s no need for gas and oil. A cordless push mower also allows emissions-free power without the hassle of a cord. One model from Remington features a removable 24 volt battery that can last approximately 30 to 50 minutes from one charge depending on mowing conditions, which is more than enough time to mow a small-sized lawn.
When finishing your lawn, another way to help keep the grass and the environment greener is to use an electric string trimmer. Electric trimmers are lighter, so your arm doesn’t get tired; and they’re quieter, so ear protectors aren’t necessary. However, you should always wear safety glasses and heavy duty gloves whenever using any outdoor power equipment.
Consider these tips to help keep your lawn looking great and your equipment running smoothly.
* Make sure to clean your mower and other tools before doing any work in the yard to keep them running longer.
* To avoid accidental startup, always remove the power source before doing any maintenance work on your trimmer, mower or other outdoor power equipment.
* Sharpen or replace mower blades at the beginning of each season. This ensures you’ll have a full season of great lawn cuts.
* Know the battery type of your cordless equipment. If your equipment operates on NiCad batteries, run the battery down before recharging it. NiCad batteries have memories, which means if you have a 30-minute battery and continually recharge it after 10 minutes, you’ll end up with a 10-minute battery. If your cordless equipment is powered by a lithium-ion battery, charge it whenever you’re done. If your mower has a battery, make sure you don’t run it down completely because that could ruin it. Keep the battery in charge mode so it stays powered up.
* Clear your yard of rocks, twigs, wires, and other debris to keep from damaging equipment.
* Make sure to rake the lawn, which may have excess leaves from fall, before pulling out the mower. Raking also helps remove any grass that may have died over the winter and can detangle any grass that has become matted and stuck together.
* When using a string trimmer, make sure the tip of the spinning line does most of the cutting so as not to overload the motor. Try a Remington electric string trimmer that has an 18-volt motor, 12-inch cutting swath and straight shaft.
* Never cut any branches, twigs or shrubbery with a string trimmer, as they are too thick for the nylon string to cut. Rather, try a Remington hedge trimmer to keep your shrubs looking neat and healthy.