In basic terms a lawn aerator is a garden tool designed to aerate the soil to promote the growth of grass. Lawn aeration improves drainage and encourages worms, which are all good for your lawn. A commercial lawn aerator does this on a much larger scale. It will usually be powered by an engine unlike a domestic lawn aerator that is powered by the movement of the device. If you are going to be doing a lot of lawn aerating then you would want to be getting a commercial lawn aerator. If you plan on just doing your own garden but you have a big plot you may find hiring a commercial lawn aerator a better option.

The main thing a lawn aerator does is to reduce soil compaction, the action of the aerator will disturb the soil and allow the much need oxygen to get to the lawn. Soil compaction makes it difficult for for the the grass to take root as it has to push through the compacted soil. An aerated lawn will prompt much better and quicker grass growth. It also allows for much better natural rainwater irrigation that can be prevented by compacted soil.

A lawn aerator (commercial lawn aerators and domestic lawn aerators) are usually one of two types. Typically either a spike aerator or a core aerator. A spike aerator will punch holes in the soil whereas a core aerator has hollow spikes and pulls out cores of soil. If compaction is the issue then core aerators are preferred.

For DIY lawn aerators rather than commercial lawn aerators you may find that a simple spiked shoe can offer a cheap solution. They are only really suitable if you want to punch holes in the soil and they can actually add to compaction. They are considered to be a poor solution for lawn aeration and could never be used in a commercial environment. The serious lawn aerator would always use a core aerator and probably a commercial lawn aerator that was powered by a petrol motor.