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Always remove leaves from hardscapes and other lawn features. Leaves and other yard debris can become slippery and dangerous, and fallen leaves can discolor and stain materials like stone, brick, and concrete. Use a rake, brush, or leaf blower to remove leaves from hardscapes and prevent staining.

Yes, you can conduct your own leaf removal, but consider that keeping up with leaf removal is time-consuming and requires regular yard work throughout the fall. The process can take a few hours a week. Professionals have lawn equipment that can speed up the process and save you time. Additionally, consider how you’ll dispose of the leaves. If your sanitation company won’t pick them up—especially if you have many bags from a once-annual cleanup— you’ll have to drive the bags to the dump. It’s usually easier to leave the work and disposal to a professional leaf removal service.

This depends on how many leaves there are. Mowing over dry and crisp leaves with a bagging attachment saves most homeowners a lot of time. If you have a smaller lawn and few leaves to mulch, you can put the leaves into a stand-alone mulcher resembling a wood chipper and collect the mulch from a hopper. This prevents having to do multiple passes with a mower.

Generally, it is not necessary to remove old mulch before applying a new layer. As organic mulch breaks down, it enriches the soil with nutrients. However, you should remove the old layer if it shows signs of fungus or disease, which can be common in moist areas, or if the total depth is already too thick. Avoid letting the total mulch depth exceed 3 inches, as this can harm plant roots. If you do remove old, disease-free mulch, it can be added to a compost pile.