4 Tips for Staying Cool While Mowing

Outside temperatures soar to over a hundred degrees in some parts of the country, during the summer. Still, the hot temperatures do not deter lawn maintenance. Mowing the lawn, weeding, and trimming hedges is a chore that homeowners tackle during the summer if they don’t hire a lawn care service. Of course, staying cool is a consistent problem, while outdoors in the summer heat. It's important to take precautions to stay cool and make sure that heat stroke does not occur. Here are ways to stay cool while keeping your lawn looking cool:

#1- Stay Hydrated
It is a good idea to stay hydrated while mowing the lawn. This is the top way to keep your cool in the summer heat. Of course, the amount of water required depends on your health, weight, and gender. The general rule is that the average adult should drink several glasses of fluids per day. Drink about 1 cup for every 20 minutes that you are outdoors, mowing. Drink plenty of water, and juices and sports drinks limited in sugar and high in electrolytes to stay hydrated. Determine if you are hydrated by checking your urine. Dark urine is a sign that you are dehydrated. Pale yellow or clear urine demonstrates that your body is getting enough fluid.

#2- Mow During The Cool Hours
During the summer, the hottest time of the day is between 10 a.m. in the morning to 4 p.m. in the afternoon. Therefore, it is a good idea to avoid mowing the lawn or performing any form of lawn maintenance during that time. Instead, mow during the cool hours to stay cool. The coolest part of the day is the early morning hours, before 10 a.m. during the summer.

#3- Wear Proper Clothing
It's also important to dress for the weather to avoid overheating. Start by wearing loose fitting clothing that lets your skin breathe and does not confine your movements. Wear breathable cotton clothing, along with sturdy shoes on the feet. Wear a wide brim hat or a baseball cap that completely covers your head and keeps the sun out of your face. A straw-hat is a great option to provide extra shade.

4. Avoid Caffeine/More Important Tips
Avoid drinking caffeine or alcohol before mowing the lawn. Those ingredients tend to raise the body temperature. In addition, keep a close eye on your condition and the way that you feel. If you are feeling overheated, take a short break. Our advice is to take frequent breaks in the shade and drink a glass of cool water, while mowing or performing any type of yard maintenance work during the summer.

During the height of growing season, your lawn can grow a few centimeters over the course of several weeks. Ideally, you should be mowing at least once a week in these conditions. With this fact in mind, it's easy to forget some of the basics behind mowing a healthy lawn. Before you trim those blades, be sure to perform a few checks that will ensure a long life for your lush grass.

Wait for Dry Conditions
You may be tempted to cut the grass early in the morning when it's cooler outdoors, but evaluate the lawn first. Any dew or rain that's still adhering to the blades makes the entire area wet. Mowing wet grass will only damage it instead of invigorating its growth. Wet grass tends to slide across the lawnmower's blades. The slick conditions reduce the efficacy of the blades' cutting actions so the grass may be unevenly trimmed. If the grass does catch within the blades, it's often torn instead of trimmed down. The result of mowing wet grass is damaged blades that affect the entire plant. Disease might set in, or pests take advantage of the vulnerable areas. Waiting for dry conditions gives the grass and lawnmower a chance to move together in harmony.

Check for Sharpened Blades
Walk out into your yard, and take a close look at the grass. If you notice an uneven appearance with some shredded sections, it's time to take a look at the lawnmower's blades. Depending on the machine's design, you might have a single, large blade or multiple blades. About once a year, take the blades in to be sharpened. For most properties, an annual sharpening is all that's necessary.

The shredded and uneven lawn indicates that the grass has been sliding past the blades instead of being sheared off. It should recover as long as you sharpen the mower before trying another round of trimming.

Plan Out the Pathway
It's easy to create a routine where you start at one end of the lawn and stop at the opposite side. This strategy, however, creates angled grass in one direction. It literally lays down as you mow. The cutting efficacy declines, and your lawn doesn't look too appealing.

Vary your mowing pattern with every session. With each pass, you'll encourage the grass to stand upright instead of laying down. Horizontal, vertical and diagonal directions are all viable options. Keep track of your routine as you go about your weekly chores. The task won't be so monotonous, and you might see other areas to tend to at the same time. Withering flowers and ripening vegetables may be ready for your attention as you mow nearby.

Your lawn can't grow at a healthy rate with visitors and residents stepping on the blades every day. It's ideal to keep foot traffic off of the grass. This rule allows the grass to grow tall without crumpling it underfoot. If you must have some foot traffic, try to minimize it with stepping stones or walkways nearby. Visitors can walk in the designated areas, and the grass will look green and dense all summer long.