Everyone knows that mowing the lawn is something that has to be done every spring and summer season. While it’s not the only thing you need to do to have a healthy lawn, it is one of the most important lawn care tasks. For many people, mowing the lawn is a relaxing experience. However, they may not realize how important it is to be safe when mowing their lawn as well.
Lawn mowers are not toys, so safety precautions should be taken when using them. You should always follow the spring lawn mowing tips to keep yourself safe. Below are seven spring lawn mowing tips and tricks to help you take care of your yard.
Tip #1: Clear the lawn
You should never just hop on your lawnmower and start mowing the grass. You need to take the time to walk through the area and clear the yard of any debris or objects that could fly up and hurt you or someone else. Stick, toys, and any other random objects can get stuck in the blades of the mower.
Not only will these objects destroy the blades, they can fly in any direction, putting pets, kids, neighbors, and anyone that is in the general vicinity in danger of being injured. Taking a few minutes to clear the area would be a great lawn mowing tip to follow.
Tip #2: Dress in spring clothing
While it may be tempting to get out there in your shorts, barefoot or in a pair of flip-flops, that’s just asking for trouble. Wearing closed toe shoes reduces your risk of injury from any debris that might be thrown up by the mower. Long pants are also recommended to protect your legs.
You should round the entire thing out by wearing earplugs to protect your hearing from being damaged by the loudness of the lawnmower. Eye protection is also recommended to protect your eyes from any type of flying debris as well.
Tip #3: Keep away from the 
mowing blades
While this lawn mowing tip might seem like a no-brainer, it bears talking about anyway. You should never put your hands or feet near the blades of the mower, and you should also make sure that no one else does it either. As a matter of fact, you should keep all objects as far from the blades as possible, to avoid injury by cutting or flying debris.
Tip #4: Watch out for kids
Letting your children drive or push the mower across the yard might seem like a great way to teach them responsibility and let them show you they can help, but it’s also extremely dangerous. The best rule of thumb to follow with letting kids around the mower, is keeping toddlers inside at all times while you’re mowing, not letting kids under 13 push a mower across the yard, and no children under 16-years-of-age should be allowed to drive a riding mower.
It’s also important to avoid the temptation of driving your son around the road on the mower. They are designed for one person and it could be dangerous to do otherwise.
Tip #5: Watch out for pets
Another lawn mowing tip you should follow is to watch out for the presence of pets. There are pets that have been hurt or fatally wounded by lawnmowers when they ran out in front of them or got in the way of the blades. It’s best to lock up your animals when you’re mowing, just to be on the safe side.
Tip #6: Be care about the lawnmower’s heat
Many people don’t realize just how hot the engine and exhaust on any type of lawnmower gets as it’s running. There are many stories of people going into the emergency room after being badly burned by the lawnmower they were using to mow the grass.
It’s also an important lawn mowing tip to be careful when adding gas to your machine. Always make sure that it is turned off, and that there are no combustible materials around, such as cigarettes that could light the vapor and cause serious injury or worse.
Tip #7: Always be aware of your surroundings
Even if you follow all the spring lawn mowing tips and tricks above, you still need to be ultra-aware of your surroundings when mowing your lawn. You never know what you might have missed when picking up the yard or when one of the pets or children could get outside and run in front of you.
It’s best to be aware of your surroundings always, and never leave the mower running and unattended if you go inside for a drink or for any other reason.
