I’ve actually tried the watering thing, and honestly, I didn’t notice much difference. If anything, it just made my shoes muddy and the nails stuck to clumps of wet grass. Maybe it depends on the type of magnet? The only trick that’s worked for me is dragging an old speaker magnet tied to a broomstick, but even then, I always end up finding a rogue nail weeks later—usually with my mower. Sometimes I think the nails multiply when you’re not looking...
Sometimes I think the nails multiply when you’re not looking...
Man, I swear that’s the truth. Even with those rolling magnets we use on jobs, there’s always one or two hiding out until the mower finds them. Watering never helped me either—just made a mess. I’ve found that the type of magnet matters a lot; those cheap ones barely pick up half the nails. Still, even with the heavy-duty stuff, it’s like they burrow into the grass or something. Maybe it’s just part of the “fun” of roofing cleanup.
I’ve noticed the same thing—no matter how thorough you think you’ve been, there’s always a stray nail or two. I wonder if the soil or grass density makes a difference? Sometimes I think the mower just pushes them deeper instead of picking them up. Those heavy-duty magnets help, but I still end up doing a second pass by hand.
I get what you’re saying about the mower, but honestly, I think the magnets are overrated for this kind of cleanup. In my experience after a storm, nails wedge themselves into the soil, especially if it’s been wet. Sometimes you’ve just gotta dig around a bit—no tool really gets ’em all. The grass density might slow you down, but it’s more about how much foot traffic or rain you’ve had since the debris landed.
“In my experience after a storm, nails wedge themselves into the soil, especially if it’s been wet. Sometimes you’ve just gotta dig around a bit—no tool really gets ’em all.”
- 100% agree on the magnets not being a magic fix. I’ve rolled those big magnetic sweepers across my yard after a reroof and still found nails months later, usually when I least wanted to (barefoot, of course).
- Wet soil is the worst. Nails just disappear. I’ve tried raking, but then you end up with a pile of grass clippings and maybe one or two nails if you’re lucky.
- Foot traffic definitely makes a difference. After we had a crew up there last spring, the spots near the driveway where everyone walked were way easier to clean than the thick grass out back. I think the nails just get pushed deeper in the soft stuff.
- One thing that helped me: after a rain, I’d walk around with a flathead screwdriver and poke around where I saw shiny bits. Not fast, but better than running over them with the mower later.
- For anyone with pets or kids, it’s worth doing a second sweep a week later. I always find more after the first mow or heavy rain.
- Honestly, I think it’s just part of the deal with roof work or storms. Even with all the cleanup tricks, you’ll be finding nails for ages. At least until you switch to a green roof—less debris, but then you’re dealing with weeds instead.
It’s kind of like an ongoing scavenger hunt, just not the fun kind.
