Would you allow this? Cut grass all over concrete walk.

AprilSun

AprilSun

Senior Member
I have a family member who is starting a lawn service business that is keeping my grass cut. I have a concrete walk to my front door. Each time they cut my grass, they are running over the concrete walk with their mowers. The grass is wet and it sticks like glue to this walk. I have tried to get it up but once it dries, it still won't even sweep up. Plus, there is the possibility of the blade hitting the concrete and then I would have a mess. None of the other services I used did this. They always cut around this walk. I have thought about talking to him about it but since it's family, I didn't know whether to do it or not. Would you allow it and put up with it or would you talk to him about it? Any advice is welcome!
 

I would not make an issue of it but would definately mention it, not just for your own sake but also as feedback for the reputation of his future business
 
I agree with Wren and Terry!

Don't let it fester tell him how you would like to have your lawn maintained especially if you are paying him for the service.

If things improve don't be afraid to give him an attaboy and if they don't then I would make other arrangements.

Good luck!
 
Anyone who has a "lawn mowing" business most likely also has a trimmer and a leaf blower with them, and part of the job is to trim around the edges, and blow the clippings off any areas where there is foot traffic. If they just "mow", they probably won't have much success in building a clientele. You might "diplomatically" mention that you are tracking lawn clippings into the house, and ask him to blow off the sidewalk when done. As for hitting the concrete walk with the mower blades....if he has any skills, he will have the mower set high enough to avoid that...after all, hitting the concrete with the mower blades will do far more damage to the mower than to the concrete.
 
Family or not, business is business. I would definitely talk to whoever is in charge and ask them to clean the mess up. They're not going to have much of a clientele if they continue to do shoddy work.

I'm not understanding why you're hesitating.
 
I agree with Don, all professional grass mowers take a few minutes afterwards to blow all the clippings off the walkways and sidewalks. He can buy an inexpensive one to finish his jobs. Family or not, if you're paying him to do the work, then you should definitely mention your concerns, including damaging the concrete with the mower blades. If he can't cut around the concrete walk for some reason, then he should use a trimmer to get the edges.
 
Yes, tell them. Even if you are getting free service, you should give honest feedback. It could save them from potential problems or even a law suite. Clipped grass can be very slippery.
 
I think,since it is a family member I would ask if he knows a way to get the grass off the walk and tell him the problems you are having. He may take the hint and be more careful. This way your aren't exactly cumming out and telling him how to do the job. Sometimes you get more with honey than vinegar.
 
I know he's just getting started, and you want to be kind. He needs a grass-catcher in the back of is mower. He's not only risking damage to your concrete walkway, but he'll ruin his blades or at the very least dull them!

Mention your concern for the damage to his mower and then suggest a grass-catcher as a"by the way"? Good luck!
 
I apologize for failing to mention, yes, I am paying him and his helper does use the blower on it but the grass is stuck to the walk and it doesn't blow off but it sticks to my shoes. I wasn't going to be rude with him but talk to him kindly and ask him if they could cut around it so I won't be having to get it off of my shoes each time I use this walk. If they were not family, I wouldn't have hesitated about talking to him about it. Family is what makes it hard.
 
Don M. said:
As for hitting the concrete walk with the mower blades....if he has any skills, he will have the mower set high enough to avoid that...after all, hitting the concrete with the mower blades will do far more damage to the mower than to the concrete.
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Do they do the same with push mowers? One of his helpers is using a push mower in the walk area so I'm guessing it's the push mower that is running over it. The reason I know they're running over it is they leave tire marks and lines on the walk. They are plain too.
 
I was house and dog sitting for my sister once and her lawn service came early in the morning. I was parked in front of the house. They had a teenage boy working for them and he blew grass all over the top and side of my car, which was totally wet from the dew. When I came outdoors to go to work, the dew had dried and the grass was stuck fast to the car. It looked like a giant chia pet on wheels.

Luckily, they were still farther down the street working on another yard and I stormed down there to give them a piece of my mind. The teenager said, "Oh, it'll blow off eventually." Uh, no. I got his boss out of the back yard and he sent the lad back to the house to wash my car, but not very happily.

Yes, straighten the young man (I assume it's a young man) out. If he wants to run a professional business, he needs to learn to do it right.
 
AprilSun said:
I apologize for failing to mention, yes, I am paying him and his helper does use the blower on it but the grass is stuck to the walk and it doesn't blow off but it sticks to my shoes. I wasn't going to be rude with him but talk to him kindly and ask him if they could cut around it so I won't be having to get it off of my shoes each time I use this walk.
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I know that when grass is stuck to the wheels of my mower and I roll it onto the porch, which has a cement floor, I can't get that grass off at all. Even if I hit it hard with a stiff broom, it doesn't budge. If that's happening, only way out is not to roll the mower on the walk at all.
 
Well if is just starting up a Lawn mowing business and this is their work ethic,don`t bother saying anthing because won`t be in business for long,maybe a few months if lucky,and then wonder why it all went pear shape!!
 
AprilSun said:
If they were not family, I wouldn't have hesitated about talking to him about it. Family is what makes it hard.
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For me, family makes it easier

I'd take the lad around the problem areas and kindly, but firmly point out the issues

Of course I'd drape an arm around his shoulder, mentioning the importance of family teaching family the important issues of life, passing down the lore of doing good business being one of 'em
 
jujube said:
Yes, straighten the young man (I assume it's a young man) out. If he wants to run a professional business, he needs to learn to do it right.
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It is a young man that is doing this mess but the owner of the business is cutting on his riding mower here also in other areas.

SeaBreeze said:
I know that when grass is stuck to the wheels of my mower and I roll it onto the porch, which has a cement floor, I can't get that grass off at all. Even if I hit it hard with a stiff broom, it doesn't budge. If that's happening, only way out is not to roll the mower on the walk at all.
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That's exactly what's happening here. I have tried sweeping it up but it is still glued unless I walk across it.

Thanks everyone for your comments! I will talk to him about it when he comes the next time. If it hadn't been family, I would have already talked to him without any hesitation. Family just makes it harder for me.
 
AprilSun said:
That's exactly what's happening here. I have tried sweeping it up but it is still glued unless I walk across it.
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My cement isn't smooth, there's some wavy lines in the cement, so I've given up trying to get the grass off the porch. Even if I take a water, soap and a push broom to it, that grass is stubborn. I'm not too fussy about it though, with the dog, cat and hubby, lots of stuff gets tracked into my house from mud, to pine needles, leaves, etc.
 
AprilSun said:
I have a family member who is starting a lawn service business that is keeping my grass cut. I have a concrete walk to my front door. Each time they cut my grass, they are running over the concrete walk with their mowers. The grass is wet and it sticks like glue to this walk. I have tried to get it up but once it dries, it still won't even sweep up. Plus, there is the possibility of the blade hitting the concrete and then I would have a mess. None of the other services I used did this. They always cut around this walk. I have thought about talking to him about it but since it's family, I didn't know whether to do it or not. Would you allow it and put up with it or would you talk to him about it? Any advice is welcome!
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Just bring out a broom or a brush and hand it to him and say would you mind cleaning off the concrete when you are finished.
 
AprilSun said:
It is a young man that is doing this mess but the owner of the business is cutting on his riding mower here also in other areas.



That's exactly what's happening here. I have tried sweeping it up but it is still glued unless I walk across it.

Thanks everyone for your comments! I will talk to him about it when he comes the next time. If it hadn't been family, I would have already talked to him without any hesitation. Family just makes it harder for me.
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Maybe you should just print out this thread and hand it to him, he may not be aware that people all over the world have their eye on him! :playful::eek:nthego:
 
SeaBreeze said:
I know that when grass is stuck to the wheels of my mower and I roll it onto the porch, which has a cement floor, I can't get that grass off at all. Even if I hit it hard with a stiff broom, it doesn't budge. If that's happening, only way out is not to roll the mower on the walk at all.
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That's the way this grass is doing. This mess was made a week ago this past Monday and the grass is still stuck on the concrete. I had to walk across it just a little while ago and tracked grass in with my shoes although I was trying to stay out of it. I thought I would just explain to him what is happening and the mess it is making inside. Hopefully this will do the trick. Thanks again everyone!!!!
 
AprilSun said:
That's the way this grass is doing. This mess was made a week ago this past Monday and the grass is still stuck on the concrete. I had to walk across it just a little while ago and tracked grass in with my shoes although I was trying to stay out of it. I thought I would just explain to him what is happening and the mess it is making inside. Hopefully this will do the trick. Thanks again everyone!!!!
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You know it's really easy to clean up while the grass is still dry even if he just runs the mower over it.
 
Camper6 said:
You know it's really easy to clean up while the grass is still dry even if he just runs the mower over it.
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I know it is but I thought I would leave what is left so I can show him what's still left and tell him I've cleaned some of it up.
 
He came back today and before they got started, I talked to him about it. I explained to him how it was sticking like glue to the walk but then stuck to my shoes when I walked across the concrete. I explained that they had been blowing it but it wasn't enough nor did sweeping it work. He agreed that it sticks like glue even to his equipment. He was very nice and saw to it that it was clean before they left today and it is and I thanked him for it.
 

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