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You've mowed your lawn, raked the leaves, and watered the flowers—but your lawn still looks a little unkempt. It's probably the little bits of grass around the edge of your lawn that your mower can't reach, which can be taken care of with an edger. Edging your lawn isn't hard, and you can do it with a gas, electric, or manual tool. All you need is a little practice, and your lawn can look like it was done by a professional!

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Power Edger or Weed Wacker

Put on long pants, eye goggles, and gloves. Power edgers and weed wackers have a tendency to throw dirt and debris around as they work. If there are any small rocks in your lawn, those could get tossed up as well, so make sure your eyes, skin, and hands are covered up before you start.^[1]
- If your tool is super loud (some gas ones are) you can also put on some ear plugs to protect your ears.
- You should also warn anyone around you that you're about to use your edger so they can get out of the way.
Use your power edger or weed wacker around sidewalks and footpaths. When you edge your lawn, you have two options for which tool to use: an electric or gas powered tool, or a manual edging tool. Because you don't have the space to dig out extra mulch or dirt around sidewalks and footpaths, it's best to use a power edger in these situations.^[2]
- If you're going to buy a power tool, try to find one that's lightweight so you don't strain your back or your arms.
- Purchase a few replacement blades for your edger too, just in case.
Start at one end of the lawn. Turn your edging tool on (for gas powered there will be a string to pull; for electric, just press the "on" button) and move to one edge of your lawn. Moving from end to end will be much easier than starting in the middle, so it's best to work from one side to the other.^[3]
- If you're worried about messing up, start edging your backyard first before you move to the front. That way you can get some practice before trying it out on the part of your yard that everyone will see.
- If you have sprinklers in your lawn, mark where those are and be sure to stay away from them so you don't damage your tool.
Hold your edging tool with the blade level to the ground. As you set up to start using your tool, position the blade (or the strings) so they're level with the grass you'd like to cut. For some edgers, this may mean turning your tool on its side so it lines up with the edge of your lawn. Others, you just hold them straight.^[4]
- You can hold your tool with both hands by the handle. This will help keep it steady and in place as you go.
Cut about deep. Much further down than that, and you run into the risk of cutting pipes or wires. Keep your tool about below the grass line to get a smooth, clean edge.^[5]
- You can try out this depth and change it up if you don't like it. It's your lawn!
Walk forward slowly and take your time. Keep holding your tool by the handles straight out in front of you, trying to keep it as steady as you can. Engage your core and keep your shoulders down as you walk forward slowly to cut your grass as evenly as possible.^[6]
- As you learn how to edge your lawn, you'll pick up speed. Start slow at first so you don't accidentally wobble or wiggle.
- If you can, walk on the sidewalk or the footpath as you edge. This will be a flatter surface so you don't accidentally cut a curve in your grass.
Use a leaf blower to clean up dirt or grass. If you're edging along a sidewalk or a footpath, you might blow dirt or grass onto the concrete. If you want your lawn to look spotless, use a leaf blower to blow the dirt and grass back onto your lawn. If you don't mind it, you don't have to worry about it.^[7]
- This will make your lawn look like it's been done by a professional.

[Edit]Manual Tool

Edge around flower beds and planters with a manual edger. Flower beds and planters are perfect for using a manual edge because you can afford to take away a little soil or mulch when you edge them. You also won't spray a ton of grass and dirt around like you would with a power edger or weed wacker.^[8]
- Manual edgers take more time, but you can be more precise with them. They're a nice way to start out if you're nervous about edging or you have a small lawn.
- Most manual tools look like a half-moon with a long, shovel-like handle.
Drive the edging tool into the ground until the lip hits the soil. Line up your tool with the spot you'd like to edge, then shove it into the ground with the handle sticking straight up. This will create your edge, so make sure it's positioned exactly where you'd like your edge to be.^[9]
- If you're having trouble, use your foot to stomp on the tool and drive it deeper.
- Watch out for pipes and sprinklers! You can do some serious damage to anything underground with this tool.
- If you're edging around trees or shrubs, make sure you won't hit any roots before you start edging.
Rock the edge from side to side, then pull the handle back. This will loosen up the soil enough to create your indentation. As you pull the handle back, the soil and grass will lift up out of the ground.^[10]
- It's super important to keep the handle straight up, even as you're rocking it from side to side. As soon as you pull back on the handle, you'll lift up the dirt.
Shovel up the loose soil to remove it from your lawn. If the soil is hard to get at right away, rake it into a pile before you shovel it up. You can store your loose dirt in a wheelbarrow and transfer it to another part of your yard to keep the edge of your lawn looking sharp.^[11]
- If your edging tool seems dull, use a file to sharpen the edges so they slice into the dirt easily.

[Edit]Tips

You won't need to edge every time you mow the lawn. Use your edger and trim a clean line as you see the borders growing out.

[Edit]Warnings

Don't scrape the edger blade against concrete. You'll ruin the blade.
Make sure no one else is near when you are running the edger as it throws debris.