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Rake it or leave it? Here's why you may just want to leave your leaves where they fall
Wondering whether to rake this fall? Leaving leaves where they fall can boost soil health, support wildlife, and reduce yard work. Here’s why skipping the rake might be the smarter choice.
By James Fitzgerald for HomeServeNov. 17 2025, Updated 11:05 a.m. ET
Reasons to Rake Your Leaves
The most obvious reason to rake your leaves is that it makes your lawn look nicer. On top of that, maintaining a well-manicured lawn is mandated by some homeowners associations, so raking leaves will be required in those cases.
Aside from the aesthetic considerations, excess leaf buildup can have health consequences for your lawn. A thick layer of leaves can suffocate the grass and inhibit its growth by blocking sunlight, and leaf layers can develop “snow mold” over the winter months that can cause discolored patches of grass.
The act of raking itself can also benefit your lawn by helping to remove the layer of dead grass (called thatch) that can restrict airflow in your lawn. However, using a regular rake won’t remove all the thatch, only the uppermost layer. For that, a rake specifically designed for thatching needs to be used.
Reasons Not to Rake Your Leaves
Perhaps the biggest reason not to rake your leaves is the environmental impact of leaf disposal. Data from the Environmental Protection Agency shows that over 10% of household waste disposed of in landfills is yard waste, which includes leaves. Not only does this waste take up precious space in landfills, but the leaves also emit the greenhouse gas, methane, after decomposing and mixing with other organic matter.
Leaves also offer a hospitable environment for many types of butterflies and moths with declining populations. Some moths and butterflies lay their eggs in fallen leaves, which hatch and enter their initial developmental stages in this “leaf litter” over the winter. Keeping leaves on your lawn can help promote their dwindling numbers, and their presence in your yard the following spring can make for a beautiful display.
Just as raking leaves has health benefits for your lawn, not raking has advantages as well. A layer of leaves will act as a layer of mulch that can inhibit weed growth and increase moisture retention in the soil. After a period of time, the leaves will release nutrients into the soil as they decompose — making them a natural lawn fertilizer.
If you decide to use your leaves for this purpose, chopping up the leaves with a mower will speed up this decomposition process. Mowing will also allow greater airflow through the leaf layer, which can prevent suffocating the grass and the development of mold.
Finally, one of the most obvious reasons not to rake your leaves is that it can be a lot of work. If it’s not absolutely essential, then why bother?
The Final Verdict: Are Leaves Good or Bad For Your Lawn?
With so many advantages of not raking your leaves, many experts believe that raking should be avoided unless:
- Leaves cover over 20% of your lawn.
- The leaves are exceptionally thick in any area.
- It’s required by your HOA.
Even then, do the environment a favor and avoid disposing of the collected leaves in your waste bin.
Instead, consider the following disposal alternatives:
- Take the leaves to a local composting program if you have one in your area. Some programs may even provide mulch in return.
- Place them in the garden or flower beds. Even if you would rather remove the leaves from your lawn than leave them as a layer of mulch, you can spread a layer of collected leaves into flower and garden beds to supply them with the mulching benefits.
- Use them in your compost pile. Leaves can make a valuable addition to other organic material in a compost pile.
Raking Alternatives For Your Yard
If you do decide to clean the leaves off your yard, there are a few alternatives to raking that can make for quicker and easier work.
Try Mowing
The best alternative is mowing if you have a mower equipped with a collection bag. Along with being faster and easier than raking, the crushed leaves from mowing will have less mass and take up less space than whole leaves, so the collected material will be easier to transport, relocate, or dispose of.
Blow Leaves Away
Another option is to use a leaf blower to blow the leaves into large piles before collecting them. Using a blower can greatly reduce the time and effort involved with moving the leaves into a single pile, but you will still need to manually collect the pile you form. That being said, some blowers have vacuuming options and collection bags that can eliminate unnecessary manual effort.
Burning Is Not the Answer
One thing you shouldn’t do with your leaves is burn them. Burning yard waste is banned in several regions because it risks starting forest fires, and the burnt material emits airborne particulates that may cause cardiovascular issues when inhaled. Plus, burning leaves can simply smell bad.
This story was produced by HomeServe Editorial and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
