Fall Leaves Hide the Nails Your Magnet Misses
That's how it goes this time of year. A magnet sweeper works on short grass. Roll it over two inches of wet leaves and it rides on top, a couple of inches above the nails it's supposed to pick up. The yard looks clean, your guys load the trailer, and you're on to the next job.
Then the homeowner rakes. The leaves go to the curb, into the beds or under the mower, and the nail that was hiding in them turns up in a tire, a dog's paw or a bare foot. Now the call isn't about your roof. It's about your cleanup, and that's the part of the job the neighbors hear about.
The four-step leaf-season routine
None of this is complicated. It just has to happen in this order, on every job, until the trees are bare.
Clear the drop zone first. Before tear-off starts, blow or rake the leaves out from under the eaves and off the driveway. A nail you can see is a nail you can pick up.
Catch it before it lands. Hang tarps from the gutter line down over the beds, so the tear-off lands on the tarp and not in the leaves.
Sweep twice. Run the magnet after tear-off and again after the last bundle goes up, and blow the leaves aside before each pass.
Walk it with the homeowner. Before you pull out, walk the beds and the driveway together, so he sees a clean yard before the wind blows the next round of leaves in.
Why catching beats sweeping
Steps one, three and four are labor. Step two is the one that cuts down what the other three have to find. Every nail and shingle scrap you keep off the ground is one nobody has to dig out of the leaves later.
That's the job a Smart Tarp is built for. It hangs straight down from the gutter line or roof edge, held by nails through brass grommets or by spring clamps, and the unprinted bottom section covers the bushes and hardscape and takes the debris. It's rated for 130 lbs of direct pressure from falling debris, and its tear strength means a stray nail doesn't ruin it.
It's also quick, which matters when daylight is short. One person can hang the front of a single-story ranch in about seven minutes. At the end of the job it gets cleaned, folded into its carry bag and moved to the next house, and it can be pressure-washed at up to 200 psi, so wet leaves and grit come right off.
The neighbor raking across the street
This is the time of year when everybody on the block is outside working on their own yard. While your tarp is hanging, it carries your logo and a QR code. The neighbor with the rake sees whose crew is keeping that yard clean, and he can scan the code from the sidewalk instead of walking over to the ladder.
Start the routine tomorrow
Steps one, three and four you can start on your next job with the crew you already have. Step two takes the right gear. Send us your logo and you get four design mock-ups within 3 to 5 days, and nothing prints until you approve it. Orders ship 14 to 21 business days after artwork approval, depending on the season, so order now and your tarps are on the truck for your late-season jobs and ready for spring.
See the bundles and sizes in the Smart Tarp shop, or call 816-327-2921 and we'll help you pick sizes and get your artwork started.
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