To Rake Or Not To Rake: Neighbors Weigh In On Leaf Cleanup Etiquette

ACROSS AMERICA — Tina has a confession. When her neighbor doesn’t remove the fall leaves from his yard, “I blow them all on his side,” the Patch reader responded to our Block Talk question, “What do you do when your neighbor won't rake, blow, bag or remove leaves in the fall?”

If we’re honest, any of us who have ever had to clean up a neighbor’s leaves has been at least tempted to give Tina’s blowback strategy a whirl. The trashier the tree, the greater the itch. If leaves fall from a neighbor’s sycamore, for example, they’re as big as a dinner plate, and with them come knotty twigs and brown furry balls that will gnaw at your rake or stubbornly resist your leaf blower. Just sayin’.

“Blow them back on their property,” Dee, a Lacey (New Jersey) Patch reader, wholeheartedly agreed. “Take care of your properties or move out.”

Nelly, an Oak Creek (Wisconsin) Patch reader, didn’t go as far as Tina and Dee, but acknowledged that when her neighbors skip fall cleanup, it is, “sadly, more work for us as they then blow into our yard — we end up handling the mess.”

“If you know that the leaves will blow into the neighbor’s yard, be courteous and pick them up/remove them,” Nelly continued. “We are elderly, and it takes a lot of strain on us to double clean our property due to your negligence.”

Patch reader Sara can empathize with that.

“I rake leaves all winter when my neighbors don't rake their leaves. I like to keep the yard looking good. They don’t care!” she wrote. “Please have pride in your neighborhood! Let’s all work together!”

“I have no trees in my yard, but I have leaves,” said Cyn, an East Haven Patch reader. “I remove them but the neighbors, most of whom are renters, don’t, or they blow them in the street and don’t pick them up. As soon as I’m finished raking, I have a yard full of leaves from those that don’t clean them.”

But, she continued, adding an angry face emoji, “I don’t care if you don’t want to clean yours as long as it’s not affecting me.”

‘It’s Like Magic Dust’

Some readers said they leave the leaves — a practice environmentalists support because leaf litter provides the winter shelter several species of wildlife, including vital pollinators, need to survive the winter, and acts as a natural fertilizer for gardens and lawns.

“I actually appreciate the leaves, especially the oak leaves,” wrote Wendy, who reads Milford Patch and Shelton-Derby Patch, both in Connecticut.

“Mulching the leaves and leaving them on the grass puts important nutrients back into the soil,” she explained. “It’s much healthier than using lawn chemicals, which can cause cancer to our pets.

“It’s like magic dust, as you’ll also see more fireflies on your lawn in the summer, and who doesn’t love fireflies? I also use mulched leaves around all my shrubs and garden beds to protect their roots in the winter. An added benefit is that they provide a source of food for some winter birds. Don’t forget to add them to the compost pile too!”

Patch reader Ian is unapologetic. He “applauds” people who leave the leaves where they fall. “Don’t do it,” he said of fall lawn manicures.

“If they don’t want to rake, they don’t have to,” said Tinley Park (Illinois) Patch reader Sue, who rakes leaves into piles around the bottom of her trees, at low spots along her fence and other places around her property.

“I usually will burn them or pick them up come springtime,” she said. “But I leave them in piles for the winter.”

‘It’s All Day Long, All The Time’

“I don’t remove my leaves,” said Peggy, a Natick (Massachusetts) Patch reader. “All the gas-powered leaf blowers are horrible for the environment and way too noisy!”

Here we go again.

“I don’t rake my leaves,” Carol, a Bridgewater (New Jersey) Patch reader said, wondering, “Also, who rakes? Everyone blows.”

She’s not a fan for environmental reasons, including “noise pollution, waste of fossil fuels and contributing to air pollution and global warming.”

“Noise pollution of blowers and mowers mulching makes us all unable to enjoy our neighborhoods, indoors and outdoors,” Carol continued. “It’s so loud, and it’s all day long, all the time.”

• Related: When Is It OK To Use Leaf Blowers? Or Are They The Devil?

Bob, who hails from Milwaukee and commented on Across America Patch, said he has “no problem” with people who don’t rake.

However, he did take issue with the “ones who always wait until right after the city has picked up the leaves to do theirs, only to have them blow all over everyone else's lawn or serve as a dam, blocking water run-off from reaching the sewers for an entire week.”

“They’re a problem,” he said.

People who don’t remove leaves should at least “put a fence up, so they do not blow on my or other people’s yard,” said Patch reader Harry, who said he hasn’t raked, blown or bagged fall leaves in 20 years.

‘Watch Your Own Bobber’

Several readers said neighbors shouldn’t get up in each other’s business about how they care for their yards, whether they’re into lawns that look like AstroTurf or more closely resemble a forest floor.

“If you don’t like how I manage my property, tough cookies,” said Mark, a Tiverton-Little Compton (Rhode Island) Patch reader.

“I am not the leaf police,” said Tinley Park Patch reader Mare. “It’s their choice.”

“Watch your own bobber,” another Patch reader said.

“Don’t worry about yards that aren’t yours,” said Joliet (Illinois) Patch reader Mike, noting, “It’s a free country.”

“It’s their yard,” added Guilford (Connecticut) Patch reader Amy.

“Who cares?” wrote Michelle, a Parsippany (New Jersey) Patch reader. “Worry about yourself. It's leaves, which is nature. Way worse things out there.”

“You do you,” said Jill, a Jefferson (New Jersey) Patch reader who said her approach is to “mind my own business and get on with my life.”

“It does not affect my daily life in any way, shape or form,” she continued. “I have bigger problems in my life.”

“Try minding your own business,” wrote Becca, who saw our post on Across America Patch.

“Do what you want,” an Old Town Alexandria (Virginia) Patch reader commented. “I mind my own business.”

“Worry about yourself,” Ellicott City (Maryland) Patch reader Lily said.

Lindenhurst (New York) Patch reader doesn’t get in a knot over it, either. “Do what makes you happy,” she said.

“It’s their yard,” Greater Alexandria (Virginia) Patch reader Sarah said. “They can do what they like! I prefer to leave the leaves myself.”

However, she meets neighbors who prefer tidy lawns halfway, adding, “We do mulch the leaves in our front yard with a mulching mower but leave the leaves in our backyard.”

‘Be Kind’

Across America Patch reader Jennifer said she learned it’s important to “keep your neighbors happy as much as possible on this” in 2020, her first fall in Millinocket, Maine.

“I was overwhelmed by getting my fixer upper winterized and all the leaves fell off in a few days. Neighbor was annoyed. Asked me to deal with it. I did,” she wrote. “Now I stay on top of it all fall.

“I strongly suggest just going with the flow on this matter and preserving all formal avenues of neighborhood harmony,” she continued. “Rake your leaves regularly and take them to the transfer station. I reuse the bags.”

When a neighbors’ leaves trespass, “talk to them,” advised Johnny, a Hillsborough (New Jersey) Patch reader.

Jak, who lives in Chicago and commented on the Across America Patch, said he hires people to mow and rake the lawn, shovel snow and “anything I don’t want to do or cannot do.”

“There are lots of people who depend on this kind of work,” he said.

And, if a neighbor’s leaf-covered lawn is that much of an annoyance, “volunteer to take care of it for them,” said Woodbridge (New Jersey) Patch reader Adriana, who is also in the mind-your-own-business camp. “It’s a personal choice to rake or not rake,” she said.

“Some neighbors can’t remove the leaves due to age or disabilities,” said RM, a Pottstown (Pennsylvania) Patch reader who cleans the neighbor’s leaves with good humor.

“Be kind,” RM said. “Offer to help them or do it for them.”

About Block Talk

Block Talk is a regular Patch feature offering real-world advice from readers on how to resolve everyday neighborhood problems. If you have a neighborhood etiquette question or problem you'd like for us to consider, email beth.dalbey@patch.com, with Block Talk as the subject line.

Catch up on Block Talk