Leaf-Blower Backdraft
Aiming the blower up the wall so the backdraft pushes debris away from doorways and cracks instead of into them.
Blow the Cracks First to Get a Truly Clean Patio or Driveway With a Leaf Blower
Blowing the open surface first and the joints last just re-fills every crack you already cleared with debris from the surface. Blow out the cracks and joints first instead, then finish with the open surface — nothing is left to blow back into a joint you've already done.
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The Problem
The natural order is to blow the open surface clean first and finish with the cracks and joints — but debris from the open surface has nowhere to go except into the joints you haven't reached yet, and once you finally blow those out, some of what you just cleared off the surface ends up settling right back where you started.
The Technique
- Blow out the cracks and joints first, before touching the open surface. This exposes the dirt sitting in them.
- Once every joint is clear, blow the open surface.
- Because the joints are already clean, nothing from the surface has anywhere to migrate back into — the debris moves off the edge instead of resettling in a crack.
Pro tip: This order matters most on any surface with regular joints or seams — pavers, flagstone, expansion joints in a driveway — where debris has somewhere obvious to fall back into. On a solid, seamless surface the order matters less.
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