One More Lawn Gnome Guide: Protect Gómez and Props
Who Gómez is in One More Lawn, why the garden gnome affects Elvira's care score, how to move him safely and what a replacement actually fixes.
Gómez is Elvira's garden gnome, and he is the most important prop in One More Lawn. The receipt for Elvira's backyard names him directly: the care line reads "No crashers, gnome intact", and Elvira's handwritten note says he was her mother's. Hit him with the mower and the care score notices.
Picking Gómez up protects him from the blades, but the care line still checks the rest of the yard. The 0.9.20 notes ↗ added gnome carrying.
The good news: since 0.9.20 you can pick up and move gnomes. The bad news: moving him does not make the care line automatically perfect. This guide covers both.
Who is Gómez?
Gómez is a garden gnome in Elvira's backyard. The receipt's handwritten note is the only lore the demo gives:
"P.S.: Gómez was my mother's. It's coming out of your pay."
That is enough. He is not a collectible, a quest item or a secret boss. He is a fragile family heirloom standing in the middle of a lawn you have been hired to cut.
The name is also a small joke: Gómez is a very human name for a gnome, and Elvira treats him like a person.
Why the gnome matters
The receipt has three lines: coverage, height and care. Care is worth roughly 20% of the perfection score under the 40/40/20 model. The care label explicitly mentions the gnome, which means the game wants you to notice him.
But the demo's 94% receipt had 70% care even though the label said "No crashers, gnome intact". So the gnome is not the only care variable. Fences, flowerbeds and other props also count.
The practical rule: protect Gómez because he is the most obvious care trap, not because he is the only one.
How to protect Gómez
1. Find him before you start
Walk the backyard before you start the mower. Gómez is usually near the wall or a garden bed. If you cannot find him, drive slowly and look for a red hat.
2. Move him out of the mowing line
Since 0.9.20, gnomes can be picked up. Walk up, pick him up, and place him:
- On a paved path.
- In a flowerbed you are not mowing.
- Next to the house, away from the deck.
Do not throw him. Do not kick him. Do not test the physics engine with him.
3. Mow the grass underneath
The reason to move him is not just safety. The grass under a gnome is uncut, and the coverage line wants "everything cut, no tufts". Moving him lets you cut that patch.
4. Put him back
The care line wants him intact, and Elvira wants him home. Put him back before you finish the job. If you forget, the receipt may still be fine, but the next player will find a gnome in the driveway.
5. Trim carefully around the beds
The string trimmer can hit a gnome just as easily as the mower. Slow down near the beds, and do not use the trimmer as a probe.
What happens if you break him?
The demo's receipt note suggests a financial consequence: "It's coming out of your pay." I have not confirmed the exact penalty, and I have not seen a repair animation.
What I can confirm:
- Chiquito sells garden gnomes.
- The care score is affected by prop damage.
- A replacement gnome is a cosmetic purchase, not a confirmed score fix.
If you break Gómez, finish the job, read the receipt, and buy a replacement if you want the garden to look right. Do not expect the score to rewind.
Other props that affect care
The gnome is the mascot, but the care line is broader:
- Fences and gates. Scraping them costs care.
- Flowerbeds. Driving through one is a care penalty and a visual mess.
- Garden furniture. Pots, chairs and tables are all in the mower's path.
- The shed and the house wall. Tight turns near them are risky.
- Other gnomes. If you place them, they are props too.
The perfect lawn scoring guide→ explains why care is the usual difference between a 94% and a 98% run.
Gómez in co-op
Six players and one gnome is a recipe for a accident. Before the job:
- Assign one player to move Gómez.
- Announce his new location in voice chat.
- Do not kick him for fun; the 0.9.20 notes mention gnome kicks syncing across clients, which means everyone sees it.
- Check the flowerbeds before the mowers start.
The co-op guide→ has the full role split.
The philosophical question
Is moving Gómez cheating? The game lets you do it, and the coverage line rewards it. Elvira wants her lawn cut and her gnome intact; she does not say he has to stay in the same spot.
I moved him. I would do it again.
FAQ
Who is Gómez in One More Lawn?
Elvira's garden gnome. The receipt's handwritten note says he was her mother's.
Can you move the gnome?
Yes. Since 0.9.20 you can pick up gnomes, move them, and mow the grass underneath.
Does breaking the gnome affect the score?
The care line explicitly mentions the gnome, and the receipt note threatens your pay. The exact penalty is not published.
Can you buy a replacement gnome?
Yes. Chiquito sells garden gnomes. A replacement is cosmetic; it is not a confirmed way to restore a lost score.
Official source: One More Lawn on Steam ↗, the 0.9.20 gnome notes ↗ and the in-game Elvira receipt visible in the official screenshots.
