Trimming your lawn: How to use a lawn trimmer

What is a lawn trimmer?

There are various different types of trimmers available. The biggest difference between them is the power source, with devices available with petrol engines, batteries and cabled connections. Each type has its own advantages. Which tool you can use to cut the grass in your garden depends, among other things, on how large the area is. Thanks to the good mixture of power, endurance and low noise level, we recommend the battery-powered lawn trimmer for use at home.

All three models have the same construction otherwise, with the motor driving a rotor with a rotating cutting tool mounted to it. Depending on the manufacturer or model, the trimmer is equipped with a metal blade, a plastic blade or a thread on a spool.

Lawn trimmers for your garden at home are usually equipped with a plastic blade or a thread spool. Metal blades are usually only found on brush cutters, which can also be used to trim bushes and shrubs. Both blades and threads usually give good cutting results, but are different in how they are operated. The blade is ready to start using immediately, but must be resharpened or replaced regularly. The thread does not become blunt, but wears out, meaning it gets shorter over time. Then a new piece must be unwound from the spool again. This is done either semi-automatically by tapping the spool on the ground or – especially with more expensive models – fully automatically.

Preparing to use your lawn trimmer

Before you trim, you need to mow the lawn. Start the lawn care with your lawn mower and cleanly mow all areas so that only those areas that it can't reach remain. 

Before you use your trimmer, we recommend that checking that it works properly. The motor head and the thread spool must move smoothly. If they are blocked or braked, you will need to find the cause and fix it. There should also be enough thread wound on the spool. In case the spool becomes empty or damaged during work, we recommend that you have a spare spool stored in your workshop. After all, nothing is more annoying than having to stop work early because of a broken blade. Next, check the power supply. If you are using a petrol lawn trimmer, make sure that the petrol and oil tanks are full. If you want to cut the grass with a cordless lawn trimmer, make sure that the battery is fully charged. If you want to mow with an electric lawn trimmer with a cord, make sure that the cord is long enough to cover the entire area.

In addition to the technology, you should ensure that you wear the right protective clothing when working with your lawn trimmer, as with any machine with rotating tools. Many accidents when gardening are caused by the careless and improper use of equipment and tools – mostly unprotected parts of the body are affected. Therefore, make sure you wear suitable clothing Eye and hearing protection and long, ideally cut-resistant trousers are standard equipment when working with your lawn trimmer – as are sturdy shoes with a non-slip sole with a deep profile. It is best to wear close-fitting clothing that covers all parts of the body while allowing sufficient freedom of movement.

Finally, check the area you want to trim. Pick up any toys, small stones and similar objects to reduce the risk of injury from objects that might get caught up. This will prevent them from being stuck in the cutting tool and causing damage.

Properly using your lawn trimmer

It is best to trim your lawn when it is dry. Wet grass is harder to cut and causes unsightly stains on fabrics.

Always start the machine on the part of the lawn that has already been mowed and hold it with both hands. Then swing the mowing head from left to right and vice versa. If the cutting tool rotates clockwise, always start work on the left-hand side of the area to be mowed so that the cuttings do not obstruct your work. Turn the cutting tool rotates anti-clockwise, start on the right-hand side. Start at lawn edges, trees, walls or other obstacles, preferably a little way from the obstacle and work your way slowly forwards with oscillating movements. It is best to trim large tufts of grass or weeds in several steps. Do not overload the trimmer and the line with aggressive swinging. Instead, guide the machine over the growth several times and cut through these problem areas one by one.

If your lawn trimmer has a retaining strap, make sure it is properly adjusted. Make sure that the thread head is hanging directly above the ground – lengthen or shorten the riser accordingly. If the strap is adjusted too short, you will have to bend down uncomfortably when cutting. If the cutting tool hangs too low, the load will not be carried by the belt but by your own muscle power. Tension and sore muscles are therefore guaranteed if the strap is not properly adjusted.

Take care never to come into contact with the yarn when the motor is running. Even though serious injuries are almost impossible with the simple tools for the home garden, it can still be painful or unpleasant if the cutting thread catches you in full swing.

Summary: The perfect lawn with little effort

As you can see, there are just a few more steps to getting your perfect lawn with clean edges. All you need is the right tools (the right lawn trimmer), the right protective equipment, some time and some practice. You can find many more guides and instructions on how to do it yourself in your own garden in our Einhell blog. Take a look and go for it!