I cut my spring yard cleanup time in half with these 3 tools

You better get cleaning early in the year if you don't want it all to be overgrown by the time you actually get to it. I'm not talking about your haircut, although it's probably time to get one of those too. I'm talking about your lawn and yard. The beginning months of spring can bring you some beautiful flowers that you might have planted the previous fall or winter. But it can also bring you long grass and weeds.

Your lawn can become overwhelmed very quickly if you aren't on top of it. This can lead into the summer months as well, which is when you want your lawn looking the best. As a homeowner for a few years now, something I still struggle with is fully nailing the deadlines for my yard work. Too often do I have to clean up weeds after they've already grown. But there are some ways I can get out in front of the growing season and some tools that help me get there.

A string trimmer is a must for anyone with garden beds

There's only so much edging you can do with a mower

I built a few standing garden beds for my wife a few years ago. We grow all kinds of herbs and vegetables in them as well as tomatoes and peppers. I put them together and spaced them a few feet apart while building a trellis that goes from one to the other to hang some of the crops as well.

We have it in one corner of our yard, which makes it easy to go outside and cut some chives or pick some basil whenever we need it while cooking a meal. We can also harvest the lettuce, kale, and snap peas right out of them and utilize them either that day or shortly after.

While having these raised garden beds has been a lot of fun for our family and very beneficial, it has made the surrounding grass a bit harder to deal with. Because of their proximity to one another, it's hard to get the riding mower I have in between them. That's where a string trimmer comes in handy, like the Ryobi 18V Cordless Battery String Trimmer.

A string trimmer, especially one from Ryobi, which relies on the ONE+ system, is made to cut down high grass or cut back weeds that are in areas that are hard to reach. You can swivel the head to edge near tougher areas, such as in between garden beds. You can also pull the head back and give the string free rein to mow down whatever is in its path.

You're able to hold down the trigger on a trimmer and the string will spin at a variable rate, cutting down what it comes in contact with. The speeds can be adjusted, depending on how thick the brush is that you're dealing with.

This is an ideal tool to use around higher weeds or near softer bushes that need trimming at the bottom.

A hedge trimmer goes a long way

Get those bushes looking just right

Similar to how I have tall grass that shows up near the garden beds or around my deck, I also have bushes that need attending. The people who lived in the house before we purchased it planted a number of bushes down at the edge of the driveway. They look nice enough throughout the year.

But when they get overgrown, it makes it hard to look up the street to see if cars are coming when you're pulling out of the driveway. It can be very frustrating to deal with, especially since the bushes and weeds grow there incredibly quickly, not to mention the poison ivy that has sprouted up.

I frequently have to go down there and either pull weeds or trim the bushes back. Since I don't want to take large garden shears down there to do the work, a hedge trimmer like the Scotts Hedge Trimmer. The version that I have is corded, which makes it difficult to bring it down to the end of my driveway. I have to run long extension cords from my garage down to my driveway in order for it to work.

But a hedge trimmer has oscillating blades that can saw, shape, and shear your bushes and trees to make them look more shapely and neat. This is an ideal thing to do as the spring turns into summer, as the bushes start to take their shape in the late spring after being dead most of the summer.

Hedge trimmers can come with interchangeable blades, giving you more precision when you're trying to get your bushes to look right. These can also trim tree branches that are encumbering your yard. Keep an eye out for a battery-powered one of these, as they are easier to use.

A power washer is a game-changer

Get that grime off your home

After months of neglect, the siding on your house is probably in desperate need of a cleaning. That's why a power washer is a necessity for any home. This is something that can give your home instant curb appeal, just as much as neatly trimmed bushes can.

A power washer, like the Bauer 2000 PSI Power Washer, is a versatile tool that can blast away dirt and grime in no time. It's also a great investment to use on your front walkway, back patio, and driveway, cleaning any hard surfaces with a stream of water.

You can hook up your power washer to your outdoor faucet and fill the vessel with soap to give it a better chance of getting the grit off. These have hoses and handles that let you shoot the water directly where you're aiming.

Power washers work effectively, making your cleaning job last a short amount of time. Depending on what you want to clean and how much you want to spend on one, power washers come with different PSI levels, giving you more power. I've used my power washer for all kinds of cleaning purposes and never get tired of how fast it works.

These tools help me clean up my yard quickly

Getting your yard in proper shape can be easy if you have the right equipment. Options like trimmers and washers pay large dividends as you try to make your home as good-looking as it can be. Pay attention to your outlet situation if you want a corded version or what kind of chargers the battery-powered ones use, as you'll want ones that use similar options if you're buying more than one tool at a time. Make it easier on yourself and get one that can be charged by one charger, rather than needing separate chargers.