• Line trimmers will help keep your lawn manicured, but proper techniques should always be used.Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images
  
  Line trimmers for grass and weed trimming can offer an efficient method to keeping your lawn manicured. However, these tools, like most power tools, come with risks during operation. You need to follow all of the safety precautions laid out in your operator's manual, combining them with proper cutting techniques.
  
  

Working Conditions

• Ensure that all bystanders are at least 50 feet away while operating the trimmer because rocks and other debris may fly out and injure them. You should wear the proper gloves, safety glasses, work pants and earplugs as required in your operator's manual. Don't use your trimmer indoors or in a poorly ventilated area because it produces dangerous levels of carbon monoxide.
  
  

Holding the Trimmer

• Hold the trimmer firmly with both hands, keeping your thumb wrapped around, and not on top, of the front and rear handles. Keep the grips free of water, oil and other residue that may cause you to lose your grip. Hold the trimmer handles with one hand above and the other below your belt. Do not reach out too far with the trimmer or try to trim with only one hand.
  
  

Cutting With the Trimmer

• Throttle the trigger fully before attempting to cut grass. Hold the moving head parallel to the ground about 1 inch above it. Try not to rub the head against the ground. Keep your hands and feet away from the moving head at all times.
  
  

Cutting Around Objects

• Approach each object, such as a tree, rock or siding, slowly and carefully. Watch the tip and move it over the grassy area. Sweep the head back and forth, keeping the tip from contacting the hard object. Be especially careful around young saplings as damaging the bark at the base can kill the entire tree.
  
  

Other Considerations

• When approaching taller and thicker sections of weeds, work top down, taking off a few inches at a time. Try to think ahead to your next cut, following the least strenuous line from one spot to the next rather than walking back and forth across your lawn. Always try to keep the line at full length, tapping out new line regularly and replacing the line when you run out.