Once the workload in the garden is complete, the experienced gardener turns his attention to his trusty garden tools. Intensive contact with soil, stones and plant remains impairs longevity and functionality. A short maintenance program will get your spade, scissors and lawnmower in shape. This guide explains how to properly care for your garden tools.
How should you properly care for and store garden tools?
To care for garden tools, they should be regularly cleaned (with a brush and water), dried, checked for rust and sharpened if necessary. Garden machines, on the other hand, should be cleaned dry, checked for tightness of screws and cables and lubricated. Devices should be stored in a dry and airy place.
Cleaning and caring for garden tools – this is how it works
If residues of soil, stones or plant sap remain on garden tools for a long time, rust will build up or the mechanics will no longer function smoothly. You can effectively prevent these annoyances if you clean and care for your garden tools after your work is done:
- Remove soil from hand tools with brush and water
- Dry carefully with a cloth and hang up
- Remove rust spots with a wire brush, steel wool or sandpaper
- Remove stubborn resin residues with mineral spirits
Before the winter break, spade blades, knife and scissor blades are additionally sharpened. Garden shears, such as pruning shears or rose shears, can be easily disassembled to thoroughly clean all components and sharpen the blades with a hand file. Then seal the metal surfaces with machine oil (€9.00 on Amazon) or wax. Rub wooden handles and handles with linseed oil.
Clean garden machines work better – care tips
Water is taboo for the care of machine-powered garden tools. Please clean your lawnmower, hedge trimmer or grass trimmer with a brush and cloth after each use. Disconnect electrical devices from the power supply beforehand. Pull the spark plug connector on the lawnmower engine.
When carrying out maintenance, check that screws, cables and protective covers are secure. Loose parts are immediately reattached. Knives and blades are sharpened at least once a year. You can carry out this maintenance work yourself using special grinding stones, a hand file or a grinding machine. Again, machine oil should be on hand to lubricate moving components after cleaning and sanding.
Store garden tools correctly
Your efforts to keep your machines and tools in tip-top condition will be in vain if you store the devices in a damp environment. Moisture is poison for wood and metal. Therefore, choose a dry, airy storage location, such as a garden shed or the boiler room.
Tip
Lawn mowers and other garden tools with combustion engines are ideally stored in winter without fuel in the tank. Before loading, vacuum the fuel or let the engine idle until it stops.