Can You Use Ryobi's Power Sweeper Attachments To Safely Dethatch Your Lawn?

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Ryobi's Expand-It range is a collection of attachments, from brush cutters and pole saws to hedge trimmers and even a snow thrower. They fit into Ryobi's cordless power heads. Typically, people might buy a string trimmer and then add whatever attachments they need later. There are a bunch of Ryobi tools that help clean up your yard in no time, but the Expand-It range is an especially budget-friendly option because you only need a single motor.

There are two power sweeper attachments, one with bristles and another with rubber paddles (actually called a rubber broom). Along with their traditional function, people have inquired whether they might also be used for safely dethatching a lawn, a simple habit of those who keep their grass lush and well-manicured. If either of the Ryobi power sweepers can tackle the task, it could be very convenient. But, the short answer: probably not.

Ryobi describes the bristle brush as being able to remove 'light debris.' The bristles themselves are nylon, so they should be safe to use on your lawn, but they may not be strong enough to get into the thatch. A dedicated dethatcher usually has spring steel tines that can penetrate deeply into a dense mat of grass. This concern is legitimate for the rubber broom attachment. The big paddles have their uses, but are no good at all for thatch. These tools are still well worth considering for your yard, but dethatching is not their strength.

To get some real-world feedback, we checked out comments on both the Ryobi and Home Depot websites. One owner thought the bristle brush was effective at sweeping and striping turf, but made no mention of actually dethatching. Another "hoped it would remove some thatch," but didn't seem to be expecting much. In general, people thought it was a great tool for artificial grass and sweeping driveways, but only one mentioned dethatching.

In a TikTok video, the rubber broom is being used to remove gravel from a lawn, a job it does very effectively. Another owner had been successful at removing acorns. (via Home Depot) So once again, it's a tool that is useful for removing debris but doesn't get into the topic of thatch.

The Ryobi Expand-It bristle sweeper attachment is $179. The rubber broom is $199. If you don't already own a Ryobi power unit, that will cost $149. Alternatively, for around $160, you can buy a dedicated tool like the Sun Joe Electric Lawn Dethatcher and Scarifier. It has steel tines to rake through thatch and an adjustable height for precise control. It will help you avoid some of the mistakes that everyone makes when dethatching their lawn, and it comes with an 8-gallon collection bag so you don't have to put extra effort into cleaning up afterwards.