To beat Leaf it Alone in under 40 minutes, skip every area the story does not need, repair the leaf inlets in the Pool, Swings and Greenhouse, and sprint into the garage the moment the door is fully open. Finish by crawling through the basement vent. Doing this unlocks Need for Sweep.
Is Under 40 Minutes Realistic?
Yes, with a plan. The official trailer calls a normal playthrough two to three hours, but achievement runs commonly finish in 35 to 37 minutes. Top speedrunners finish Any% in around 21 to 23 minutes.
Only 6.7% of Steam players have Need for Sweep, mostly because they never try a dedicated route. Several players report getting it on their first serious attempt with a guide. Pausing stops the timer, so there is no pressure to memorise everything.
Five Rules for a Sub-40 Run
- Clean only the story areas: Porch, Driveway or Front Yard, Basement, Shed, Pool, Swings, Greenhouse.
- Use leaf inlets: the free porch inlet, Pool ($15), Swings ($6), Greenhouse ($25).
- Wait for the garage door to open fully, then sprint or bunny-hop in.
- Buy hand upgrades and bags early, then the Rake ($7.49) after the Shed.
- Press V to find stray leaves, and throw bags into bins instead of walking.
These rules come from several Steam guides and video runs that all finished under 40. Skipping is the biggest saver, because the Entrance, Garage clean-up, Grill and Maze are not needed. Inlets turn big areas into quick sweeps.
Money Checkpoints
Running out of money for an inlet is the most common slowdown. One guide recommends keeping $15 ready when you finish the Shed for the Pool inlet. Then keep $25 ready when you finish the Pool for the Greenhouse inlet.
| When | Have ready | For |
|---|---|---|
| Start | $0 | Free inlet right of the porch stairs |
| Early | $0.75 then $3.49 | Medium and Large leaf bags |
| After the Shed | $7.49 + $15 | Rake and the Pool inlet |
| After the Pool | $25 | Greenhouse inlet |
| Swings | $6 | Swings inlet |
The Garage Sprint
Hold the button in the shed until the TV shows the garage door fully open. Then run the shortest line, using sprint from the Court or the speed bonus from the Front Yard or Driveway. Bunny-hopping helps if you skipped the Court.
Back up your save just before this step so a miss costs seconds, not the whole run. One guide stands in the shed doorway so the button is barely visible. Another presses the button a few more times before running.
Upgrade Order
Start with Greedy Grasp and Dexterity on your hand, plus the Medium bag. Max the hand upgrades by the end of the Basement. After the Shed, buy the Rake and push Sweep Radius, Handle Length and Leaf Stickness.
Some routes add the Leaf Blower ($49.99) for the Greenhouse with Power and Air Spread upgrades. One 36-minute run used the blower instead of the rake and called blower width very important. Either way works if you keep money for the inlets.
What a 35-Minute Run Looks Like
Yadilie's 35:00 run gives a good pace guide through its video chapters. The Porch takes until about 4:39, the Front Yard until 10:17 and the Shed starts at 14:52. The Pool runs from 17:38, the Greenhouse from 25:00 and the Swings from 32:52.
The vent to the hidden room comes at 35:44 on the video. That leaves a few minutes of buffer under 40. If you are behind those marks, keep going anyway, since the pace picks up after the inlets.
Areas to Clean and Areas to Skip
The story only needs a chain of areas, so the rest can wait. Skipping them is where most of the time comes from. Here is the split used by the guides.
| Clean | Skip |
|---|---|
| Porch (bag tying) | Entrance |
| Driveway or Front Yard (speed) | Garage clean-up |
| Basement | Court (optional) |
| Shed | Grill |
| Pool | Maze |
| Swings and Greenhouse | Photos and side objectives |
Leaf Inlet Costs
Inlets swallow every leaf you push into them, turning big areas into quick sweeps. Each one needs a one-time repair payment. These are all eight on the Hometown map.
| Leaf inlet | Repair cost |
|---|---|
| Porch, right side | $0 |
| Porch, left side | $3 |
| Court side of the garage | $3 |
| Swings, back of the garage | $6 |
| Grill area, house side | $10 |
| Pool | $15 |
| Maze, back of the house | $20 |
| Path to the Greenhouse | $25 |
A sub-40 route usually repairs the free porch inlet, the Pool, the Swings and the Greenhouse inlets. Avoid this run on a save meant for Craftsman. Repairing any inlet rules that achievement out.
Watch a Sub-40 Run First
Watching one full run makes the route click. Yadilie's 35:00 run has over 28,000 views and chapters for every area. ScoobysBooty's commentary run explains the general approach for getting under 40.
KevLar Gaming and Trickiey Gaming also have completed Need for Sweep runs on YouTube. VTR_RAGE even collected all leaves in under 40 minutes. That shows the time limit leaves room for small mistakes.
Common Mistakes
Starting the garage sprint before the door is fully open is the classic run-killer. Running out of money at an inlet is the second. Cleaning optional areas out of habit is the third.
Missed bag throws also add up, so practise throwing into bins before your run. Hunting a single stray leaf can cost minutes, so press V early. Pause whenever you feel lost, since the timer stops.
Under 40 Minutes FAQ
Do I need sprint from the Court? No, the Front Yard or Driveway speed bonus is enough for the garage with good movement. One guide says the Front Yard is smaller than the Court, so it saves time. Bunny-hopping helps close the gap.
Do I need the Leaf Blower? No, several runs use only the upgraded rake. Others buy the blower for the Greenhouse. Pick whichever tool you are faster with.
Tracking Your Time
Update 1.1 added a built-in game timer that is off by default. Turn it on in the settings to see your time while you play. It can show your best time from the Any%, All Leaves or All Objectives categories.
The game also supports LiveSplit, added in patch 1.0.12. The final time appears on the Summary screen at the end. Patch 1.0.12 made that time consistent between the Summary and Rankings panels.
More Help
For the full achievement walkthrough, see the Need for Sweep guide. For world records and categories, see the speedrun guide. Do this run on a different save from your Craftsman attempt, because it uses inlets.