Ask Danny: Ep. 13 | Top 5 Simple Solutions for Fall

Ask Danny: Ep. 13 | Top 5 Simple Solutions for Fall

Joe Truini and his five fall simple solutions
Joe Truini’s Top 5 Fall Simple Solutions are all about making yard work easier. (3 Echoes Content Studio)

This week, long-time friend and Today’s Homeowner Radio Show co-host Joe Truini offers his Top 5 Fall Simple Solutions.


Using a bicycle inner tube to hold the bag in a trash can.
A bicycle inner tube keeps a trash bag in place. (3 Echoes Content Studio)

1. Stay-Open Leaf Bag

When raking leaves and putting them into a trashcan lined with a plastic bag, the weight of the leaves tends to pull the bag down inside the can. Every time you dump in leaves, you have to readjust the bag. 

To prevent this from happening, put the bag in the trash can and fold its open end over the can, as usual. 

Next, stretch a bicycle inner tube around the outside of the trash can to securely hold the bag in place. 

Bike inner tubes are available in sizes up to about 26-inch diameter, so you should be able to find one to fit your trash can. 

Watch: Tip for Holding a Leaf Bag Open


Raking leaves onto a tarp with wooden dowels
This simple tarp modification makes raking and collecting leaves easier — and faster — than ever. (3 Echoes Content Studio)

2. Easy, Efficient Way to Pick Up Leaves

Whether you use a rake or a leaf blower to collect leaves, how do you easily pick up the leaves and neatly dump them into a trashcan? 

Well, they make claws and all kinds of implements for picking up leaves — or you can just use a tarp.

Get a 4×8-foot tarp, fold it in half, and then staple wooden dowels onto the ends to form handles. 

Next, lay the tarp on the ground and rake the leaves onto the tarp. 

Then, grab with the handles, lift the entire pile of leaves and slide them into the trashcan.

Watch: How to Rake Leaves and Get Rid of Them in Record Time


Joe Truini cleaning gutters with leaf blower and downspout
A leaf blower and some plastic downspout are all you need for the fastest and best way to clean gutters. (3 Echoes Content Studio)

3. Fast Way to Clean Gutters

Our next Fall Simple Solution is a clever way to clean gutters using a 10-foot length of a vinyl downspout. 

Start by using a pair of snips to cut the end of the downspout, then pinch it closed with duct tape. This will create more power and pressure at the end. 

Now, slip the opposite end of the downspout onto the leaf blower and you’re ready to power-blast your gutters clean. 

You can blow out 8 to 10 feet of gutter from one position to either side, meaning you’ll only have to move the ladder maybe once or twice to clean the gutters along the entire house. 

Watch: The Best Way to Clean Gutters


Grass seed in a berry container
A slotted berry container is a perfect tool to evenly distribute grass seeds. (3 Echoes Content Studio)

4. DIY Grass Seed Shaker

Fall is the best time of year to sow grass seed because of the mix of warm soil and cool air.

Here’s a tip for over-seeding any bare or thin spots on your lawn. 

Begin by getting a small plastic clam-shell berry container, the kind that supermarkets use to sell blueberries and raspberries. The containers have small slotted drainage slots that are perfect for distributing grass seeds. 

Just dip the berry container in a seed bag, close the lid, and gently shake it over the bare spots. You’ll get a nice, even distribution of seeds, without wasting seeds. 

Next, rake the seeds into the soil, water the area, and cover with mulch hay.  

Watch: How to Fix Your Lawn’s Bare Spots


Simple solution drill a hole into a garbage can to reduce suction
Drilling holes into the side of a garbage can is a quick and easy way to relieve suction. (3 Echoes Content Studio)

5. Non-Suctioning Garbage Can

Most people collect leaves by simply dumping them into a large plastic bag inside a trash can.

And there’s nothing wrong with that except when you go to remove the full bag of leaves — the bag forms suction at the bottom, making it difficult to yank out the bag.  

So, here’s how to break that vacuum so the bag slides right out: Take a 5/8-inch diameter drill bit and drilled a series of holes around the outside of the can and also in the bottom. 

The holes will allow air to flow into the can, breaking the vacuum. 

Watch: How to Stop Garbage Can Suction


Further Reading


Ask Us a Question! (Podcast Landing)

Gutter Guards: The DIY-Friendly Guide to Maintaining Rain Gutters

Gutter Guards: The DIY-Friendly Guide to Maintaining Rain Gutters

Leaves pile up in a GutterBrush leaf guard inserted in a gutter beside an asphalt shingle roof

Gutters and downspouts have an important job, directing rain water from the roof to the ground, so it never touches your home.

This prevents damage to the siding, basement flooding, and soil erosion near the foundation — and the costly repairs for those issues.

However, gutters catch more than rain water; they also collect leaves and debris that could block the drainage system, causing it to fail. 


Close-up view of GutterBrush leaf guard on a white background

About GutterBrush Leaf Guard

No one wants to constantly monitor their gutters for debris — and really, who has time for that? 

Fortunately, you don’t have to climb a ladder and keep a watchful eye over your gutters. At least, not when you have a special filter that does the heavy lifting! 

GutterBrush Leaf Guard is a cylindrical, bristled filter that you insert into your gutters. Each 3-foot section — which looks like a giant pipe cleaner — neatly fills the gutter, blocking any fallen leaves and debris. 

Installation is fast and easy, and the product is low maintenance, requiring only periodic checks for trapped contents.


Woman inserts a GutterBrush leaf guard into a gutter

How to Install GutterBrush

Always take the necessary precautions before climbing an extension or step ladder. For safety, have a buddy hold the ladder while you use it. 

Here’s how to install GutterBrush Leaf Guard: 

Close-up of a tape measure and a GutterBrush leaf guard inside a gutter

1. Measure and clean. Measure your home’s gutters so you’ll know how many leaf guards to order. Remember, each GutterBrush insert is 3 feet long. 

Then clean the gutters. Use a trowel to remove any leaves and debris; bag them for lawn debris or add them to the compost pile if you have one. Then spray each gutter with a garden hose and make sure water flows freely from the downspout. 


Man installs GutterBrush leaf guard in a gutter near an asphalt shingle roof

2. Slide a GutterBrush Leaf Guard into the gutters

Yes, just slide each one into position until you’ve filled the gutter — that’s all it takes! You need no tools or fasteners to install GutterBrush Leaf Guards.

Best of all, the system is affordable. Outfitting your gutters with GutterBrush costs thousands less than using most gutter covers and other screened systems. 

In fact, the average-size home can be protected for $200 to $400, based on needing 60 to 120 feet of GutterBrush.


Fallen leaves accumulating in a GutterBrush leaf guard that's inside a gutter

The Benefits of GutterBrush

In addition to filtering fallen objects, GutterBrush has a number of benefits, not the least of which is making gutter cleaning low maintenance. 

All gutters and gutter guards require maintenance, so be wary of any claims promising that you will “never clean your gutters again.” GutterBrush is the easiest leaf guard solution to install and maintain when needed. Just remove 3-foot sections, shake out any debris and slide them back in — no tools or fasteners needed. Gutter screens and covers have to be disassembled just to access the gutters and they are difficult to reinstall after cleaning.  

GutterBrush doesn’t just keep debris out of your home’s storm water drainage system; it also prevents birds, insects and rodents from nesting, causing system failure. 

Finally, during the wintertime, GutterBrush’s black bristles warm up in the sunlight, facilitating faster melting of snow and ice. 

The bottom line? Protecting your gutters with a simple full-time filter saves you time, money and energy!

Learn more at GutterBrush.com


Further Reading

Rain Chain: A Stylish Alternative to Downspouts

Rain Chain: A Stylish Alternative to Downspouts

Moving water from gutters to the ground in a controlled fashion is a necessary chore, but rain chains are the perfect blend of form and function because they do it with style.

Rain chains come in all kinds of materials to match just about any home. From black powder-coated aluminum to hammered copper, and everything in between, there’s bound to be something that fits your home’s style.

And that’s the point. You need something that carries rainwater from your roof to the ground level, but you don’t need an ugly pipe to do it!

This downspout alternative will add charm and character to your home, compared to its more industrial-looking counterpart.

Two-step installation is easy, and anyone can do it with simple tools.

Marc Ingram removes a downspout from a gutter
  1. Remove the downspout from the gutter. You’ll need a power drill to remove the rivets and metal screws. Then pull the joints apart.
Marc Ingram installs a rain chain at Today's Homeowner host Danny Lipford's home

2. Attach the rain chain to the opening in the gutter.

As water leaves the gutter, it cascades down the chain, slowing the flow and creating a beautiful waterfall in the process.

Backyard life is brought to you by Exmark, the official mowers of the backyard Life.

Further Reading

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Backed by his 40-year remodeling career, Danny served as the home improvement expert for CBS’s The Early Show and The Weather Channel for more than a decade. His extensive hands-on experience and understanding of the industry make him the go-to source for all things having to do with the home – from advice on simple repairs, to complete remodels, to helping homeowners prepare their homes for extreme weather and seasons.