This is the 1 item professional cleaners never waste their time with when cleaning outdoors, and the $40 alternative for easy, fast results

If you’ve ever spent hours sweeping your patio, driveway or other outdoor areas with a broom, you’ve been doing it all wrong, warns a professional cleaner.

Instead of painstakingly doing the task by hand, you should instead use a $42 leaf blower from Amazon, says our cleaning pro.

This will help you complete vital outdoor maintenance and cleaning jobs over large areas quickly and with minimal effort.

Why they're quicker and easier for outdoor clean up

Professional cleaner and head of operations at Spekless, Karina Toner, says the affordable device, above, is a great starting point. She says, ‘It’s battery-operated, so it’s quiet and eco-friendlier than gas blowers. It’s also easy to handle and store, and strong enough for weekly outdoor tidying.’

Karina says swapping your outdoor broom for a blower is a game-changer for staying on top of patio cleaning and driveway cleaning. She says, ‘For outdoor sweeping, it is faster and more thorough, especially for dry debris, dirt, or pollen buildup. It also saves time on large surfaces and can reach tricky corners under patio furniture.’

If you suffer back, knee, or other joint pain, and use adaptive pacing for cleaning, using a blower instead of a broom will also save you from having to move most outdoor furniture items or bend down. Instead, point yours in the right spot and it’ll do the hard work for you.

Karina adds, ‘If you’re still sweeping your patio or driveway with a standard outdoor broom, it might be time for an upgrade. A leaf blower doesn’t just move leaves, it’s a surprisingly efficient tool for clearing dust, pollen, twigs, dry grass clippings, and other outdoor debris in a fraction of the time and with far less physical effort.’

Instead of pushing debris across a surface, the concentrated airflow does the heavy lifting for you, blasting debris out from under patio furniture, between bricks or pavers, and across wide driveways with minimal effort.

Benefits over a broom

Professional cleaner Karina notes the essential pros:

• Speed: What might take 15-20 minutes with a broom can be done in under 5 minutes with a blower.
• Efficiency: It's especially great for uneven or textured surfaces where dirt hides in grooves.
• Reach: Perfect for tight spaces or hard-to-reach corners where a broom can't maneuver easily.

Cons

There aren’t many, but it’s always worth knowing before you ditch your broom for good. For one, these electric devices can be loud. Karina advises, ‘Consider using them during daytime hours and wearing ear protection if you're sensitive to sound.’

We recommend the Pro For Sho ear defenders from Amazon, which can also come in handy when mowing the lawn or any noisy DIY projects.

Blowers can also have fumes if gas-powered, and are not great for the environment. Karina says, ‘They are powerful, but produce emissions. For most homes, an electric or battery-powered model is quieter, cleaner, and lighter. Always point the blower away from people, pets, and delicate plants. Avoid using them in very dry, dusty conditions without a dust mask.’

The Base Camp M Pro Dust Mask from Amazon is comfortable to wear and suitable for dusty jobs, including landscaping and woodworking.

How to use efficiently

Karina has some tips for getting the job done well with the least errors, energy, or time.

‘Blow debris toward a designated area, such as a back corner, your compost pile, or against a fence line, then scoop it up with a shovel or gloved hands. For a cleaner finish, lay down a tarp or drop cloth first in your target zone so you can gather everything in one go.

‘On large driveways, work in sections, blowing debris in one consistent direction to avoid scattering it around again.’

Gardening Gloves with Claws from QVC are useful if you’re clearing out mulch or debris by hand, as they will protect your skin whilst raking small amounts without large tools. Karina adds that these are ‘surprisingly helpful for gardening and cleanup, and reusable.’

What to shop

Cleaning your gutters is another lengthy outdoor task, but with the right equipment and know-how, it can be sped along for great results with less time and effort.