Garden tool hire for a weekend project
Rentoodle team, updated 5 minute read
Hiring a pressure washer, hedge trimmer or lawn aerator for a weekend: what each machine is for, what to prepare beforehand, and how to return it clean.
Plan the job before you book the machine
Garden jobs have a habit of expanding. The patio becomes the patio and the path, the hedge becomes the hedge and the two trees behind it, and a Saturday becomes a weekend. Walk the garden first with a notebook and measure what you are actually going to do.
Then decide which machine that job needs, and book a window with room in it. The default minimum hire on Rentoodle is two days, and for outdoor work in Britain a Friday to Monday window is far more sensible than a Saturday to Sunday one, because it survives a wet Saturday. Check the weather before you book rather than after.
Pressure washers
A pressure washer transforms patios, paths, decking, fences, wheelie bins and cars, and it can also destroy them. Pressure alone is not the whole story: flow rate is what shifts dirt, and the nozzle is what protects the surface.
Start with the widest fan nozzle and the greatest distance that works, then close in only if you need to. Never use a pencil jet on soft wood, old lime mortar, painted surfaces or anything with a coating you want to keep. A patio cleaner attachment gives a far more even result on a large slab area than waving a lance about, and takes half the time. Work in overlapping passes in one direction, or you will see every stripe you missed once it dries.
You will need a hose and a tap that can keep up, because these machines draw more water than people expect. Check the listing for whether a hose and connectors are included.
Hedge trimmers
Match the blade length to the hedge: a long blade is faster on a long straight run but harder to control on shaping work, and heavier on your arms after an hour. Check the listing for whether a blade cover, harness or guard is included.
Cut with the blade at a slight angle and sweep upwards, and taper the hedge so the base is wider than the top, which keeps light on the lower growth. Work from the bottom up so cuttings fall clear. Keep both hands on the machine, keep the cable behind you and over your shoulder if it is corded, and never cut above shoulder height or off a ladder while holding a trimmer.
The timing point that matters in the UK: it is an offence to damage or destroy an active nest of a wild bird, so check hedges for nests before you cut, and avoid the main nesting season where you can. Have a tarpaulin down before you start and clearing up takes minutes instead of an hour.
Lawn aerators and scarifiers
These two machines are often confused. An aerator punches or pulls plugs out of compacted soil so air, water and feed reach the roots. A scarifier rakes out the dead thatch and moss sitting on the surface. Compacted, waterlogged, heavily walked lawn wants aerating; a spongy lawn full of moss wants scarifying. Many British lawns want both, aerating first.
Autumn and spring are the usual windows. Do not work a lawn that is frozen, waterlogged or bone dry, and mow shorter than usual a few days beforehand. Expect the lawn to look dreadful immediately afterwards, which is normal. Have a plan for the material you pull out, because a scarifier produces an astonishing volume of it, and consider overseeding and feeding straight after while the surface is open.
What to prepare before the machine arrives
Half of a successful hire is what you do before the tool is in your hands. Do this on the evening before the hire starts:
- Clear the area: furniture, pots, toys, bins, hoses and anything on the ground that could be thrown by a machine.
- Sweep or rake first. Machines are for the dirt you cannot remove by hand, not for the leaves.
- Find your outdoor socket, check the RCD works, and have an outdoor rated extension lead long enough for the whole area.
- Check the outside tap and have a hose to hand for a pressure washer.
- Get the protective kit out: eye protection, ear defenders, gloves, sturdy boots and waterproofs.
- Have bags, a tarpaulin or a green bin ready for what comes off the surface.
- Tell the neighbours if you will be making noise early, and keep to civilised hours.
Returning it clean
Garden machines come back dirtier than any other category, so the bar is simple: return it the way you would want to receive it. Brush off soil and grass, rinse and dry the housing, and clear the vents.
Drain the water from a pressure washer and disconnect and drain the hoses, so nothing is posted wet. Wipe sap and resin off hedge trimmer blades and refit the blade cover. Clear grass from an aerator or scarifier's tines and cassette. Coil cables properly and put every accessory, nozzle and spanner back in the case.
Then get it back on time: agree a collection time by message, or post it by tracked delivery to arrive with the lender by the end date. Hirers are responsible for returning items and for damage they cause, so a clean, complete, on time return protects you as well as the lender's machine.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need my own hose for a pressure washer?
Usually yes. Check the listing for whether a hose and connectors are included, and make sure your outside tap can supply enough water, because these machines draw more than people expect.
Should I aerate or scarify my lawn?
Aerate a lawn that is compacted or waterlogged, and scarify one that is spongy with moss and thatch. Many lawns benefit from both, with aeration done first, in spring or autumn.
When should I avoid cutting a hedge?
Check for active birds' nests before you cut and avoid the main nesting season where you can, because it is an offence to damage or destroy an active nest of a wild bird.