'My Back Hurt Just Watching': This Fall Leaf Removal Hack Is Clever, But Is It Worth It?

The internet is full of clever hacks designed to simultaneously blow your mind and save you time. If I had a dime for every instance I heard someone say they learned an amazing new way to do something on TikTok, I'd be retired in wine country by now. Jokes aside, I'll concede that sometimes these hacks really are smart, really do save me time, and really wouldn't have occurred to me to try had I not seen their cute viral video. However, the juice is certainly not always worth the squeeze.

Take the "#momshelpingmoms" leaf removal hack that Virginia Mitchell (@virginiahlane) shared on TikTok. In this video, Mitchell demonstrates how she uses an unfolded cardboard box to push the fallen leaves in her yard into a pile. Sure, the video is sped up, but she does pretty rapidly use the flat box as a sort of yard squeegee to efficiently push three rows of leaves into a pile so she can go about her busy mom life free from the burden of yard work. End of cute viral video.   

Plenty of TikTok commenters are impressed by her unique take on leaf removal, and it's hard to argue that it's a creative solution for a common problem. "Genius..... I'm impressed," comments one TikTok user. "Love this idea!!" said another. Others are half-sold, stating they use flat tools like snow shovels to accomplish the task in a similar way. However, many commenters are disapproving of her method, citing a seemingly endless list of reasons why this "hack" isn't realistic outside of a 10-second TikTok video... and I have to say, even as a fellow busy mom who will try almost anything to save a few precious minutes, I'm on the side of the detractors.

Ditching the rake and embracing alternative leaf removal methods is a very understandable sentiment. And objectively, the cardboard box hack does get leaves into a pile, which is the goal. But the more critical TikTok users voice serious concerns about the validity of the method. For one, if the leaves are wet, the cardboard will also get wet — and bend, rendering it useless. Others argue this hack only works for flat, small yards. The short, sped-up video only shows clearing three rows: Imagine the nightmare of tackling three acres this way. Some question why she doesn't just use a leaf blower, while others argue for "leaving the leaves" (there's a whole controversy about raking fall leaves, but that's another subject). Personally, I'm with the users saying it's better to just mow over them and call it a day.

However, the most convincing argument against this leaf removal trick (and most-liked comment at the moment) is, word-for-word, what ran through my head when I first saw it: "My back hurt just watching." That hits the nail on the head. Listen, I love my kids ... but thanks to them, the core of my body ain't what it used to be. Just witnessing that repetitive hunch and push motion makes me instantly dubious. 

Mitchell says in the video, "You'll thank me later." Oh yeah? More likely that I'll curse you later as I sit with my heating pad and Ibuprofen wondering how long it'll take me to bounce back from this one. No quirky, alternative fallen leaf removal method is worth days out of commission. If my kids want to grab some cardboard and have at it, more power to them. But I'm out.