[Heather EC]

Hi all, I was wondering if anyone had recommendations for lawn mowers that would be good for an asthmatic. I feel a little out of place on this forum as up until now I have barely ever had to mow lawns - Dad always did when I was living at home and since moving out I've mainly lived in flats.

The past year and a half I have been living in a share house on a 1/4 acre block (a standard house block here inMelbourne, Australia). However one of my housemates loves mowing the lawn so I have only had to mow it a couple of times. Today was one of those days and it triggered a fairly bad asthma attack. I think this was due to petrol/gas fumes rather than grass as I don't usually have allergic reactions to grass clippings.

My lawn mowing loving housemate and her husband will be moving out towards the end of the year or beginning of next year so I'm going to have to start mowing the lawn a lot more often. Plus I feel lazy not being able to help out more now. She insists she loves mowing the lawn but I feel guilty letting her do all the mowing.

The current lawn mower will go with them. It's pretty old so that may be contributing to the fumes it's releasing. I did some research on electric mowers and they sound great from an allergy point of view, but I'm not sure if they would be suitable for the amount of lawn I have. Are there petrol/gas mowers that are more suitable than others for those with asthma or other lung problems? I'm also prone to chest infections since a bad case of pneumonia a few years ago.

 

[98Murray]

I would say that an electric mower would be perfect.

 

[Mark / Ohio]

Ariens has a new electric model on the market here in the States:

Electric Riding Lawn Mower - Ariens® AMP Rider

AMP Rider - Premium Brand Electric Riding Lawn Mower

Instead though you might look into a face mask with a filter based on your sensitivities.

Respro: Allergy Relief - Multiple Chemical Sensitivity - Respro® Allergy™ Mask

These look neat and light weight compared to my old masks with the screw on metal cartridges. I'm sure however they are still plenty hot to wear on a summer day.

 

[Heather EC]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. I don't need anything as large as a ride on mower. A push mower is fine. Electric would be good as long as they've got enough battery power. Elsewhere on the web I read of people using electric mowers with power cords but I'm worried I'd accidentally run over the cord! There's a few trees I need mow around in my yard.

The face mask looks interesting and might be a good option while I've still got use of my housemates' petrol/gas mower. I'm pretty sure I should be able to buy something similar in Australia but otherwise it's good to know I can order them from overseas.

 

[Mark / Ohio]

... Elsewhere on the web I read of people using electric mowers with power cords but I'm worried I'd accidentally run over the cord! There's a few trees I need mow around in my yard....

Cords on mowers are a pain. I used a corded Black & Decker mower in a small yard of an elderly woman I worked for while in high school back in the 1980's. I never cut the cord but it was constantly wrapped around something if you did not engineer a mowing routine ahead of time to avoid it. Her cord had several spots taped back together from when she had cut it.

 

[Brad]

Hello, Heather, and welcome to the forum. Glad you found us and jumped in.

One question I have about the machine of your housemate. Is it the type that you mix the gas and oil before fueling the engine? If so, those fumes would be much heavier and more pronounced than a newer machine. Would you have a mower shop locally that you could stop by and look at a modern machine? Maybe the proprietor would have a demonstrator that you could try for a few minutes to see if the fumes are much less pronounced.

Electric would be good, if it will hold a big enough charge to mow your lawn. Please let us know how things work out. We wish you the best of luck.

 

[Heather EC]

Yes it is the type you mix the oil and gas - my housemates only got it last year but it's a reconditioned second hand mower. The closest place to me that sells mowers is a large hardware store but there are lots of smaller places not too far away that might let me test out the mower before I buy. Good to know the newer models are not as bad for fumes.

I'm not sure when I will actually buy a mower. I'll probably look for the allergy masks for now and buy a new mower when I know my housemates are moving which won't be for a number of months, but will let you know when I finally do! A second hand mower would be cheaper but for my health's sake I think I will definitely go with a new one.