6 Essential Safety Tips for Home Landscaping Projects

With spring in the air, now is the perfect time to improve your home's landscape. It's not too hot, nor is it too cold. Rather, the mild temperatures associated with spring make it ideal for home landscaping projects. With that said, you should follow these six safety tips to lower your risk of injury when performing a home landscaping project.

#1) Use a Sharp Blade

Whether you're mowing the lawn or trimming an overgrown tree branch, you should use a sharp blade. If the blade is dull, it won't perform clean cuts. Instead, it may sling pieces of debris outwards, which could strike your body to cause injury. You can either replace a dull blade, or you can sharpen it. Just remember to always use a sharp blade for landscaping projects.

#2) Maintain Equipment

Don't underestimate the importance of maintaining your landscaping equipment. Gas-powered lawnmowers, weed eaters and leaf blowers all require regular maintenance. Failure to follow the manufacturer's instructions regarding maintenance will lead to equipment degradation. In some cases, it can even make the equipment unsafe to use.

#3) Lift Using Your Legs

You'll probably need to lift certain items when performing a landscaping project. Unless an item weighs less than 5 pounds, though, you shouldn't bend your back to lift it. Lifting items with your legs is a better approach that places stress on your spinal column. if you lift a gardening tool with your back, it may stress your spinal column while contributing to back pain in the process.

#4) Keep Cutting Tools Away From Body

Regardless of what cutting tool you use, you should keep it away from your body at all times. If you're using a weed eater, for instance, make sure the cutting string is extended outwards from your body -- and never bring it close to your body.

#5) Avoid Loose-Fitting Clothes

Another essential landscaping safety tip is to avoid wearing loose-fitting clothes. If your shirt or pants are too big, it will likely have excess fabric that dangles from your body. Unfortunately, this excess fabric can easily get out in gardening machines and equipment.

#6) Wear Sunscreen

It's a good idea to wear sunscreen when performing landscaping projects. Even it's cloudy, the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays will beam down onto your property. If you don't wear sunscreen lotion, you may develop a sunburn.