I Had an Entirely Solar Property, But Here’s Why I Ended Up Paying for Utilities

The year was 2006. Two women, one a fellow singer in a devotional music group and the other a friend of hers, invited me to join them in the purchase of a 17-acre property on a ridge in the Santa Cruz mountains overlooking Monterey Bay. I took out a home equity loan on the property I currently owned to pay a share of the down payment, and I accepted the invitation.

The property was far from turnkey, but we were prepared for an adventure, and the fact that it was an off-grid solar property was part of the fun. Jump to 2026, and we’re still here, but the solar energy system is not. It wasn’t our first choice to scrap it in favor of bringing in utilities. Many twists and turns through the years, some financial, some logistical and some caused by acts of Nature, led us to the decision.

In this post, I’ll share about our system and what happened to it, what I learned about the pros and cons of living off the grid and why, in the end, the cons outweighed the pros — at least for us.

An Undersized System Gets Fried

The PV system powering our new house consisted of six 175W Shell solar panels, a charge controller that fed power to a battery bank consisting of 16 lead-acid batteries. They in turn powered a Xantrex 48V inverter which supplied 120/240V electricity to the main panel on the side of the house. A 10kW diesel generator (biodiesel, actually), located some distance away in a concrete bunker, also connected to the inverter and was programmed to switch on to charge the batteries when they needed it.

The previous owners, who had DIYed the system, outfitted the main house with gas appliances, so the primary load on the electrical system (besides lights and small appliances) was the well pump and a jet pump to pressurize the water system. They had been optimistic enough about the system’s capabilities to have installed a pool pump, but judging by how often the generator switched on during everyday use, the panels didn’t seem to supply enough power for something like that, so we discarded it.

We hated the generator. It sounded like a Mack truck and pumped thick black smoke into the sky whenever it was running — and it ran often. Moreover, biodiesel was hard to find and expensive. We would have replaced the generator, but we never got the chance. One spring day, as we were sitting outside, a rogue bolt of lightning struck the building that housed the inverter (about 20 feet away from us) and fried it. Not stopping there, the bolt traveled along the wires to the generator and also disabled its control panel.

When You’re Off-Grid, You Need Friends

That single lightning strike left us completely without power, and if our property had been isolated in the backwoods, we would have had no way to restore it. Luckily, we had one close neighbor who allowed us to connect an emergency cable to their panel to power our essentials.

Eventually, the neighbor allowed us to upgrade to a heavier cable and a bigger breaker. We connected to a meter to monitor our usage so we could pay our fair share of the electric bill, and then to a subpanel to back-feed the property. This jerry-rigged and dangerous situation persisted for several years as we tried to figure out what to do.

Comparing the Costs of Solar and Grid Power

The reliability of utility power was a relief. It meant eventually, no battery maintenance, no noisy generator and no PV system upgrades were required. However, to bring utilities to our property meant burying a cable under the road from the nearest power pole, which was 400 feet away. Then there was the panel installation itself, running wires to outbuildings, and doing it all up to code. Estimates for the installation hovered in a range between $80,000 and $125,000.

Besides the expense, this all promised to be disruptive, and we hadn’t given up on the solar dream, so we got quotes from local solar contractors. They blew our socks off. It turned out a system with enough panels and battery storage to meet our needs would cost just as much, if not more. One bid came in at $110,000, and another, which included a high-end Kohler backup generator, was around $130,000. And that was with the 30 percent federal rebate that was available at the time.

We Chose to Tie to the Grid — Partly, But Not Only, Because of Money

The price of installing solar notwithstanding, it was still an option that captured our collective imagination. When you’re generating your own off-grid power, we reasoned, you’re self-sufficient while doing your part for the environment and staking a claim in the electrified world of the future. Best of all, you’re getting Free Energy! Or so we thought.

It turns out you still need to buy components and maintain them, so the electricity isn’t free. The batteries on our old system had cost $3,500 to replace (cheap by today’s standards, but still a burden), and they only lasted from five to seven years. Moreover, when we needed help, we were totally dependent on local contractors who may or may not have been able to understand or fix our system, and they charged for the service call either way.

Environmental concerns entered into the decision. Our individual system powered our house with renewable energy with all its benefits, but PG&E, our local utility company, was selling energy increasingly supplied from renewable resources to the whole community. It made sense to support that.

Finally, there was county permitting, which was a major issue if we ever wanted to sell the property. Our old DIY system would never have passed an electrical inspection, and who’s to say that any system we installed today would pass inspection 10 years from now, given how fast the solar industry is evolving? Tying to the grid guaranteed code compliance in perpetuity, as long as we managed to clean up the wiring mess left by the previous owners, which we did.

The dream of going it alone died with these realizations.

Still Off-Grid? A Few Takeaways

• Every property is different, and some are so far from utilities that a solar installation makes sense. Don’t DIY it. If you hire a contractor for the job (after researching them well, including their knowledge and relationships with the relevant agencies), you have a ready resource when you need repairs.
• If you want to save money, find a contractor without a sales agenda that favors particular products, so you can take advantage of the diversity of solar equipment on the market.
• Follow codes when you do wiring in your buildings. It will make your property more valuable if you decide to sell it.
• Monitor your energy usage carefully to avoid having to run your generator for extended periods during prolonged periods of cloudy and rainy weather. Generators use fossil fuels (which you are trying to avoid), and they wear out quickly when they run continuously.

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The Surprising Reason Shredded Paper Can’t Always Go in the Recycling Bin

A stack of old bills, tax records, or other paperwork can turn into a full bag of shredded paper surprisingly fast. Since regular office paper usually belongs in the recycling bin, it seems logical that homeowners should also be able to recycle shredded paper.

The problem isn’t necessarily the paper itself. Shredding changes its size, making it much harder for some recycling facilities to sort and collect. That’s why one community may accept shredded paper while another tells residents to put it in the trash or take it somewhere else.

Here’s why shredded paper causes problems for some recycling programs and how homeowners can dispose of it properly.

Why Shredded Paper Causes Recycling Problems

Shredded paper can be surprisingly difficult for recycling facilities to handle. Full sheets are easier to sort, while tiny shreds can fall through equipment or get mixed with other waste.

Tampa, Florida, says its recycling system can’t properly sort shredded paper because the pieces are too small and light. Shredding also shortens the paper fibers, which can make them less useful for producing new paper. Portland, Oregon, gives another reason for keeping it out of the bin. Loose shreds can scatter and mix with dust and debris during sorting, keeping them out of the recycling stream.

Why Some Recycling Programs Still Accept Shredded Paper

Rules for shredded paper vary by location. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends checking with the local recycling program because each community handles it differently.

Some places still accept it. Gainesville, Florida, requires shreds in a closed, labeled paper bag, while Fremont, California, calls for a sealed paper bag. Portland takes the opposite approach. The city stopped accepting bagged shredded paper curbside because bags can tear during sorting and release the pieces.

The safest approach is to follow the rules for the local recycling program rather than assume another city’s guidelines apply.

What Should Homeowners Do With Shredded Paper?

Homeowners should check local recycling rules before tossing shredded paper in the bin. Some programs accept it curbside, while others send residents to a drop-off site or tell them to throw it away.

Plastic bags usually aren’t a good workaround. Many curbside programs don’t accept them, and they can also make shredded paper harder to sort. If the local program doesn’t accept shredded paper, residents should follow their city or hauler’s disposal instructions.

Homeowners can also reduce shredded paper by shredding only documents that contain personal information. Other paper may be easier to recycle intact. Going paperless for bills and statements can reduce the pile even further.

Sources

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “How Do I Recycle Common Recyclables”
• City of Tampa Solid Waste, “Recycling FAQs”
• Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, “Yes, You Can Recycle Pizza Boxes (and Other Recycling Updates)”
• City of Gainesville Public Works, “Recycle Collection”
• City of Fremont Environmental Services, “Recycling Guide: Single Family”

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My Bad Laundry Habit Was Making My Washer Smell — and the Fix Was Embarrassingly Simple

For months, I couldn’t work out why my washing machine smelled so bad. I cleaned the drum, dispenser drawer, and out-of-sight slime in the door seal, but a stale odor persisted, and my garments often came out sopping wet. Eventually, I called an appliance repair technician, thinking it was a mechanical problem. Instead, he quickly identified two of my laundry habits as possible contributors.

Believing it would help keep my clothes clean and fresh-smelling, I was habitually heavy-handed with detergent and often crammed too many clothes into the machine. I didn’t realize both were interfering with effective rinsing and leaving residue behind.

Ahead, I’ll share how I discovered why using too much laundry detergent and overfilling the drum were a problem, how I fixed it, and what two laundry scientists say you should be doing to avoid making the same mundane but major-impact laundry mistakes.

Why Too Much Detergent and Overloading Can Cause Problems

My technician identified the problem immediately after asking a few simple questions about my laundry care habits and taking a quick look inside the machine. To my surprise, rather than diagnosing an expensive mechanical fault, he patiently explained that I was guilty of making a couple of common washing machine operation errors.

I was frequently filling the cap almost to the top with concentrated detergent, which was contributing to residue buildup in my machine, creating damp conditions where odor-causing mold and bacteria thrive. In my case, that sludgy buildup was particularly noticeable inside the door seal and out-of-sight pipes.

Detergent overdosing can also leave residue on fabrics, making them feel stiff or less fresh, and excess suds can reduce friction between garments, so dirt may not loosen as effectively during the wash. These problems are even more apparent with a high-efficiency (HE) machine, which uses less water, making accurate dosing especially important.

If you have a habit of stuffing your drum full of garments, as I frequently did, it adds to inefficiency and unnecessary wear and tear.

“Clothes won’t tumble or circulate properly through the wash solution if the washer is overloaded,” says Mary Gagliardi, aka “Dr. Laundry,” Clorox’s in-house scientist and cleaning expert. “An overloaded washer may not be able to properly balance the load in the drum, preventing it from reaching high enough spin speeds, especially if there’s a single heavy item (like a large bath towel) that can throw the load out of balance during spinning.”

She explains that a machine that is spinning out of balance may automatically default to a lower spin speed, reducing extraction and resulting in ineffective rinsing. This fits with my experience, as loads were regularly emerging soaking wet, and this, combined with the bad odor, was what motivated me to call out the technician.

And don’t forget the waste. Every unnecessary glug of detergent means buying another expensive bottle sooner, using more electricity running extra rinse and spin cycles, and sending more chemicals down the drain into our wastewater systems.

How Much Laundry Detergent Should You Actually Use?

Don’t rely on my haphazard eyeballing method for measuring laundry detergent quantities, and be aware that there’s no single dose that works for every wash. The key lesson I took away from the experts I talked to isn’t simply to use less detergent, it’s to use the right amount.

Gagliardi recommends starting with the lowest amount specified by your detergent manufacturer, typically line one on the measuring cap or scoop or one detergent pack, and referring to your washer’s Use & Care Guide. You can then adjust for important variables such as load size, soil level, and water hardness.

“If you think you have hard water, check with the agency that supplies your water to see just how hard it is,” Gagliardi recommends. “Alternatively, you can have your water tested to see what the concentration of dissolved minerals is, and if there are any metals like iron or manganese.”

With hard water, she recommends using a liquid detergent and experimenting to see what produces good laundry results. “How much extra you add above the baseline recommendation depends on how hard the water is,” she says.

It’s also important not to swing too far in the opposite direction. Jennifer Ahoni, P&G Fabric Care Principal Scientist, points out that up to 70% of the soils on our clothes are invisible, including body oils, sweat residue, and odor-causing soils.

“Underdosing can limit cleaning performance, particularly with larger or heavily soiled loads,” Ahoni says. “If there isn’t enough detergent to capture and suspend soils in the wash water, dirt, and body oils can remain on fabrics or redeposit back onto clothing during the wash.”

What To Do If You’ve Been Overdosing and Overloading

Reducing my detergent dose wasn’t the only step I took to tackle the bad smells. Following my technician’s advice, I rinsed out the detergent dispenser and ran a high-temperature empty cycle with a manufacturer-approved odor-eating antibacterial washer solution. He also recommended replacing my old, stained, and perishing door seal, which had become a problem area for residue buildup.

I rewashed some clothes that had come out smelly to rinse away lingering detergent and, importantly, stopped cramming the drum quite so full.

If you’re experiencing similar problems, start by checking your washing machine’s manual for its recommended cleaning procedure. Ahoni advises running the washer’s cleaning cycle, if it has one, and, as I did, cleaning accessible washing machine areas where residue accumulates.

“Products such as Tide Washing Machine Cleaner can help remove odor-causing residue and help keep machines fresh when used as directed,” she says. She also points to auto-dosing technology in some newer washing machines as one way to take the guesswork out of measuring detergent.

The biggest lesson I’ve taken from all this isn’t simply to use less detergent. It’s to stop guessing. I now measure the right amount for the load according to the detergent manufacturer rather than automatically adding extra, and I’ve stopped stuffing the drum to the brim. Since making those changes, the persistent smell has disappeared, and my laundry no longer regularly emerges sopping wet. Most importantly, it’s made me rethink my embarrassingly long-held belief that more detergent and fuller loads equal cleaner clothes.

About the Experts

• Mary Gagliardi (aka “Dr. Laundry”) is Clorox’s in-house scientist and cleaning expert.
• Jennifer Ahoni is the P&G Fabric Care Principal Scientist.

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Walmart’s Latest Price Tag Update Will Change the Way You Shop

Everyone knows the struggle. There’s a particular item you’re looking for on the grocery store shelf, you’ve looked up and down every aisle multiple times, and you just can’t find it. Well, one major retailer has a solution to that problem.

Walmart’s latest price tag update aims to make that search easier by making the digital price tag for a specific product flash on the shelf. Walmart has been expanding these electronic tags across its U.S. stores, but the shopper-facing feature gives the technology a new purpose.

Learn how the system works and what shoppers can expect.

What Is Walmart’s “Flash Price Tag” Feature?

Walmart’s digital shelf labels are small electronic displays that replace paper price tags. The company already uses its built-in lights to help employees find products while restocking shelves or filling pickup and delivery orders.

Now, shoppers can use a similar tool. After selecting a store and searching for an item in the Walmart app, shoppers can see where the product sits in the store. Where the feature is available, tapping “Flash Price Tag” makes a light on the item’s shelf label blink, making it easier to spot among similar products.

Here’s an example of it in action:

@hiitsmillzy @Walmart is livin’ in the future frfr. • Find the item on the app • Tap the aisle it’s in • Tap “Flash price tag” • Blue light will flash on shelf #walmart #walmarthack #lifehacks ♬ original sound – Millzy

“As a stocker at Walmart, this is one of my favorite changes,” one commenter wrote on the viral TikTok post.

The feature can be particularly useful on shelves filled with similar packaging or different sizes of the same product. Shoppers still need to get to the correct aisle, but the flashing tag can help pinpoint the item once they’re there.

The option may not appear at every Walmart yet. Availability depends on whether the store and product use the compatible digital shelf labels.

Do Walmart’s Digital Price Tags Change Prices Automatically?

No. The digital labels can update faster than paper tags, but Walmart says people still control when prices change.

“Price updates are still people-led and support Walmart’s Everyday Low Price (EDLP) promise,” according to Walmart’s corporate release in March. “Associates review and push approved changes through a secure system, typically outside of shopping hours, so prices remain stable and consistent during the day.”

Some shoppers remain wary of the technology. “I added something to my cart once and by the time I was done shopping and checking out, the price had gone up,” another user commented on the viral TikTok.

Walmart says its digital shelf labels don’t use demand, time of day, or information about an individual shopper to set prices.

“Worth highlighting, DSLs operate on a closed system and do not interact with shoppers or collect any information about them,” according to Walmart’s corporate release in March.

Walmart points to outside research addressing concerns about fast-changing prices. According to Walmart, “Independent academic research examining a major grocery retailer’s use of DSL technology found no evidence of surge pricing or price gouging after adoption.”

Sources

• Walmart, “How the Shelf Got Smarter and Our Jobs Got Easier”
• Walmart, “Digital Shelf Labels: A Modern Tool for Every Day Low Pricing”
• Walmart, “Walmart Price Match Policy”
• Millzy (@hiitsmillzy), TikTok demonstration of Walmart’s “Flash Price Tag”

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Houzz Says Homeowners Are Done With Minimalism — 5 Trends Taking Over

Move over, white walls, gray floors, and matching furniture. Houzz says homeowners are increasingly favoring warmer, more personal spaces.

Houzz asked nearly 50 home design and construction professionals what clients are requesting now and which ideas appear likely to stick around for its 2026 U.S. Houzz Fall Design Trends Report. The findings suggest homeowners are embracing warmer finishes, natural materials, and rooms that feel less polished and more personal.

The report highlights five home design trends homeowners can expect to see more of this fall.

Warm Paint Colors and Wood Tones Are Replacing Stark White and Gray

Houzz says the move toward warmer interiors is continuing this fall. Instead of using a single warm color as an accent, homeowners are bringing warmth to several parts of a room.

Wood cabinets and furniture can add it, as can earthy wall colors or brass and bronze finishes. Plaster-style walls and handmade-looking tile can bring in warmer tones without requiring a major remodel.

“We are seeing clients ask for more warmth, texture and character,” general contractor Nathan Svoboda of Wichita Home Works told Houzz. “Instead of plain white-and-gray spaces, homeowners are gravitating toward warm wood tones, plaster-style walls, handmade-looking tile, aged brass or bronze finishes, earthy colors and old-world or Mediterranean-inspired details.”

People Are Moving Away From Matching Furniture and Minimalism

A room doesn’t need to look like everything came from the same store. Houzz found growing interest in interiors that mix old and new pieces and leave room for things homeowners already own.

Vintage furniture can sit beside newer pieces. Artwork, family items, and furniture picked up over the years can stay rather than getting replaced just to match a new decorating scheme.

“More than any single material, clients want their homes to feel collected and personal rather than brand new and overly polished,” designer Judi Lee-Carr of Jubilee Interiors told Houzz.

Homeowners Are Choosing Personal Design Details Instead of Decorating for Resale

Houzz also found more homeowners choosing what they actually want to live with instead of sticking closely to neutral choices they think a future buyer might prefer.

That can show up in wallpaper, an unusual tile pattern, inherited furniture, or a paint color with more personality. Original features in an older home can also become part of the design rather than something automatically covered or replaced.

Materials with some variation fit this look too. A handmade tile doesn’t have to look identical from piece to piece, and an older metal finish can change with age. Those differences can make a room feel less manufactured.

Natural Stone, Wood, and Handmade Tile Are Showing More Texture

Wood cabinets and stone countertops aren’t new, but Houzz says homeowners are paying more attention to the natural differences within those materials.

Stone sinks are one example. Natural stone is also appearing in furniture and light fixtures. On countertops, honed and leathered finishes offer an alternative to highly polished stone. Handmade or high-variation tile can bring noticeable differences in color and surface from one piece to the next.

“Rather than relying on highly polished finishes, clients are gravitating toward natural wood, textured stone, handcrafted tile and materials that develop character over time,” architect Donovan Davis of Danze & Davis Architects told Houzz.

Home Design Trends Are Putting More Focus on Aging in Place and Flexible Spaces

Designers are also thinking about whether a house will continue to work for its owners years from now, according to Houzz. That can include wider paths through a room, curbless showers, easy-access storage, and layouts that don’t become difficult to use later in life. Houzz also highlights accessory dwelling units and secondary suites that can accommodate relatives, guests, or future needs.

The same idea applies to rooms inside the main house. A space designed for one purpose today may need to do something different several years from now. Planning for that possibility can give homeowners more options without requiring another major renovation.

Together, the trends show growing interest in homes that feel warmer, more personal, and better suited to how homeowners expect to live over time.

Sources

• Houzz, “5 Home Design Trends Pros Say Have Staying Power in 2026”
• Houzz, “2026 U.S. Houzz Fall Design Trends Report”
• Houzz, “2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study: Renovation Trends”
• Nathan Svoboda, general contractor at Wichita Home Works; quoted in Houzz’s 2026 home design trend report.
• Judi Lee-Carr, designer at Jubilee Interiors; quoted in Houzz’s 2026 home design trend report.
• Donovan Davis, architect at Danze & Davis Architects; quoted in Houzz’s 2026 home design trend report.

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NASA Is Building a Laundry Gun for Space — But Can We Use It at Home?

Everyone wants a way to make laundry easier. Apparently, so do astronauts. Unfortunately for them, that chore is even more difficult to figure out in space.

Researchers at The University of Alabama in Huntsville are developing a plasma-powered “laundry gun.” The name sounds like a household gadget, but the current prototype is designed to sanitize fabric without water or traditional cleaning chemicals, which could help space crews.

Learn what a laundry gun does, how it works, and whether it could ever be used on Earth.

What Is a Laundry Gun?

A laundry gun is an experimental handheld device that directs cold plasma at fabric to reduce bacteria. Researchers at The University of Alabama in Huntsville, led by mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Gabe Xu, are developing the technology with NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.

The device sanitizes soft materials such as clothing, bedding, upholstery, and spacesuits, but it doesn’t work like a conventional washing machine.

“It could also be used to sterilize space suits and tools before they leave the habitat and step foot on Mars,” Xu said in the university’s release. “To be clear, though, this won’t remove coffee or grass stains (though we haven’t tried that). So, it won’t make your clothes less dirty, just remove bacteria.”

The prototype uses helium, air, and water vapor to make plasma. That plasma creates compounds that can kill bacteria on fabric, so the material can be sanitized without a wash cycle or standard disinfectant treatment.

The researchers are also working on a bigger handheld model that can cover more fabric at once. Part of that work involves dealing with ozone created during the treatment process.

Why Is NASA Interested in New Ways to Do Laundry?

There’s no regular washing machine aboard the International Space Station. Astronauts wear their clothes and eventually dispose of them along with other waste rather than washing them for reuse.

That system becomes harder to rely on during longer trips away from Earth. NASA has explored different ways astronauts might wash or sanitize clothing on future missions, including new washing equipment and detergents designed for use in space.

Water availability presents one of the biggest complications. “From a scientific standpoint, the major challenges for off-planet laundering include the strict requirements for compatibility with the air purification systems, the limited amount of water available per each wash treatment, and the requirement that the laundry wash water be purified back to drinkable water,” Mark Sivik, identified by NASA as a research fellow at P&G, said in a 2021 NASA article.

The laundry gun takes a different approach by targeting bacteria on fabric rather than duplicating a household washing machine in space.

Could a Laundry Gun Be Used at Home?

The current laundry gun isn’t a consumer appliance, and the UAH project remains in the research and engineering stage. It also wouldn’t replace ordinary washing, which removes sweat, oils, stains, and debris in addition to addressing bacteria.

Researchers are considering uses for plasma technology well beyond clothing sanitation, although those applications remain experimental.

“With just electricity, air, water and perhaps other gases, the plasma could help tackle sanitization, space crops, water purification, air revitalization, waste processing and even regolith treatment [lunar or Martian soil],” Xu said in the university’s release. “Of course, those applications are also in the early stages and focused efforts will be needed to bring this technology to flight.”

UAH hasn’t announced plans for a household version of the laundry gun. Other space-laundry research could eventually have uses on Earth, though. NASA has previously reported that P&G planned to apply cleaning methods tested in space toward more sustainable, low-resource laundry solutions on Earth.

For now, the laundry gun remains a specialized sanitation tool rather than a replacement for a household washer and dryer.

Sources

• The University of Alabama in Huntsville, “UAH research advances ‘plasma gun’ technology that could transform space laundry and sanitation for future missions”
• NASA, “NASA Glenn Interns Take Space Washing Machine Designs for a Spin”
• NASA, “Experiments Riding 24th SpaceX Cargo Mission to Space Station Study Bioprinting, Crystallization, Laundry”

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When Are You Too Old to Pull Weeds? Experts Weigh In

Last weekend, two Family Handyman staff members, both in their 30s, threw out their backs while pulling weeds. That made my editor wonder: if it’s risky for someone that young, is it still advisable for older folks?

“Yard work is consistently one of the top causes of at-home strain injuries in older adults,” says gardening expert Abbie Edwards. “It is such a routine task that people forget to treat it with the same care as a proper workout, but your body does not know the difference.”

Last weekend I also joined the weed-pulling strain club. My pinky finger was the victim. It’s a laughable injury, yet annoying, delivering a sharp pain every time I reach for the delete key.

With the topic firmly rooted I our minds, and in our bodies, we decided to ask a few gardening and landscaping experts about age and weeding safely. Here’s what they told us.

Risks of Pulling Weeds As You Age

As we grow older, our connective tissue loses elasticity, making back and joint damage more likely. It also lengthens our recovery process, which means repeated weeding increases the risk of injury.

Picture a 65-year-old spending 30 minutes weeding, three times a week, says Yoga practitioner Meera Watts. “That’s 90 minutes of cumulative spinal loading per week, and because the tissue recovery window slows with age, that stress builds faster than it clears,” she says. “It’s that repetitive strain that catches people off guard.”

Tips for Pulling Weeds Safely As You Age

• Keep your back straight. Let your legs do the work.
• Squat rather than bend.
• Change hands and positions every few minutes.
• Stay hydrated.
• Use an umbrella for shade.
• Use a bench or stool to lessen the repetition of bending down.
• Pace yourself. Even a few rushed minutes can cause injury.
• Stop if you start feeling pain or light-headedness. Don’t try to just work through it.
• Take breaks. Stand and stretch every 10 to 15 minutes.
• Use tools on stubborn weeds. “Do not pull with all of your body weight, as this can cause you to fall or strain a muscle,” says Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist Clare Spires.

A few tool recommendations to make weeding safer and easier:

• Stand-up weed pullers, like this one from HoseLink.
• Kneeling pads and rolling carts.
• Electric tools, like this mini chainsaw and these battery-powered cordless pruning shears from SharperImage.com. My 78-year-old mom recently got a pair of the shears, and the delight on her face is priceless.

Vary Techniques Depending Weed Species

Knowing the characteristics of each weed can also help prevent injury. “Just like with the flowers, vegetables and fruits we grow, weeds have their own variations, thickness and level of difficulty to get rid of,” says Spires. “The more difficult a weed is to be pulled, the more caution you should take.”

Shallow, spreading weeds, like clover, can be raked or hoed, says Edwards, while thorny weeds obviously require gloves. Use special care with plants that have deep taproots, like dandelions. “Those need a steady, straight pull up to get the whole root,” she says.

How Old is Too Old to Pull Weeds?

It depends less on age, and more on your body’s biology, strength and balance. If you have trouble holding a trowel firmly without wrist pain or performing a brief shallow squat without knee discomfort, those could be signs that the risks now outweigh the benefits, says Watts.

But for many older people, there is no real cutoff, says Edwards. “It is less about age and more about how you do it. With the right tools and technique, gardeners in their 80s can weed comfortably. Bad habits, not age, cause trouble,” she says.

About the Experts

• Clare Spires, MS, ACSM-CEP, is coordinator of cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation at OSF HealthCare Saint James-John W. Albrecht Medical Center in Pontiac, Illinois.
• Abbie Edwards is a gardening expert, and a Hoselink brand ambassador.
• Meera Watts is founder and CEO of Siddhi Yoga, where she’s spent over a decade studying how the body ages and how physical movement affects musculoskeletal health across different life stages.

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