Is a spring and fall cleanup service worth it?

It is worth it if you have a large lot, a lot of deciduous trees, or a physical reason you cannot do the work, and usually not if you have a small yard and a mower. The fall visit is the one that matters most: leaves are the biggest seasonal job, and the one most likely to hurt the lawn if left.

What a fall cleanup protects

Leaves left to sit hurt a lawn. A thick layer of leaves blocks sunlight, reducing turf growth because of the shading effect, and the leaves trap and hold moisture in the turf canopy, increasing the potential for turf disease.^[1] Getting them off or chopped up in time is the point of the fall visit.

You can also do this cheaply yourself. Virginia Cooperative Extension calls mulching leaves directly into the turf a relatively cost effective and time-saving means of leaf disposal.^[1] If your lawn is small enough to mow in an hour or two, a few passes over moist leaves with your own mower will do most of what a crew would.

What a spring visit adds

Spring has less of a deadline. It is mainly about clearing winter debris and tidying beds, and, for a warm-season lawn such as bermudagrass or zoysia, a window for core aeration or dethatching, because Extension says fall is too late to safely do either on warm-season turf and recommends late spring or early summer.^[2] Those are jobs a service can bundle, and they are easy to forget.

When a service earns its fee

• You have a lot of trees or a big lot. Extension warns that treatment and disposal of leaves can be time consuming and costly, and the volume is what makes it so.^[1] A large leaf load may need several passes with a mower, and Extension notes that a depth of up to 6 inches can be mulched at a time, depending on the mower.^[1]
• You cannot lift, rake or push a mower. Then the question answers itself.
• Your locality does not collect or limits what it takes. Fairfax County collects vacuum leaves only in designated areas, from November through January, and leaves raked out after the third pickup will not be collected.^[3] A service that mulches or hauls solves the gap.
• You want the extra jobs done at the right time. A good company will do the fertilizer, aeration and gutter cleaning in the window when they work: Extension ties cool-season fertilizer to September through November and aeration to the fall.^[2]

When it is not worth it

• You have a small lot with one or two trees. Mulch-mowing will do it.
• The service only blows leaves into a pile. That moves the problem. Ask where the leaves go.
• You are asked to commit to a big seasonal contract without a written scope. The DPOR guide says to put the details in writing.^[6]

How to decide

Count your fall hours honestly, price what a service quotes for the same work, and compare. When you ask for quotes, the Virginia Board for Contractors advises at least three written bids or estimates using identical plans and specifications so you can compare prices.^[6] Make sure each bid names the visits, what is included on each, and where the leaves go.

Ask about chemicals too. If the service sprays weed or pest products, a business that applies pesticides in exchange for compensation needs a pesticide business license in Virginia.^[7]

Stop and call a pro if

• The yard work includes tree limbs, stumps or removal. Fairfax County does not treat material from tree removal as ordinary yard waste.^[4] Hire a tree service, not a cleanup crew.
• Gutters are above the first story. Do not climb up yourself; ask the company if it does gutters, or hire a gutter pro. The Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District advises that gutters be cleaned at least once a year.^[5]
• A company wants to spray without a license. Ask for its pesticide license number first.^[7]
• A bid is far lower than the rest. The DPOR guide says an abnormally low bid probably means the contractor made a mistake or is not including all the work the others quoted.^[6]

Getting help in Virginia

For the do-it-yourself version, see what yard work to do in the fall. For pricing, read what a fall yard cleanup costs in Virginia. More in snow and seasonal answers and seasonal services on Loclis.

When you are ready, describe your yard once and local pros quote it.