Take Care of Your Tools

How to Care for Your Garden Tools

By Aimee Jo Davis-Varela

Spring is coming, which means it is time to prepare our gardens for this season’s planting. As we flip through seed catalogs, order potting soil for curbside pickup, and put together our garden plan, it can be easy to forget that our gardening tools could use a little prep as well.

Since we can grow food and flowers throughout the year here, you probably have been using your garden tools all winter, so they might be dirty, dull, and bit worse for wear. Garden tools that are kept in good repair are safer to use, last longer, and function better, which is better for the environment, your plants, and your wallet.

Here are some simple ways you can make sure you get the most out of your gardening tools.

1. Keep Your Tools Clean:

Keeping your tools free of dirt and debris can help prevent rust and helps to ensure that they are ready to go next time you need them. Metal and plastic tools can be cleaned with soap, water, a rag, and a scrub brush. If you are concerned about spreading disease or pest eggs, you can also use vinegar, antibacterial wipes, or an antibacterial soap, and follow that with wiping them down with linseed oil or vegetable oil.

2. Remove Rust: If your tools are a bit rusty, you can remove the rust with sandpaper or a wire brush. Follow this with a coat of oil or store them in a bucket of sand mixed with oil to prevent further rusting. You have probably read somewhere that mixing sand and motor oil in a bucket for garden tool cleaning and storage is a good idea. It is not. While it is effective in cleaning your tools and keeping them from rusting, it also means introducing motor oil to your garden when you use the tools, so let’s stick to linseed oil or vegetable oil.

3. Oil Wood Handles:

Wood handles on shovels, hoes, rakes, and hand tools do not always age well and can dry out and crack. You can avoid this by oiling them a few times a year. Be sure to use oil that is safe for skin contact and for your plants, such as linseed oil. Apply the linseed oil to the handles, let it sit for about 20 minutes, and then wipe off any excess oil. If your handles are beginning to feel rough or like you might get splinters from them, sand them with sandpaper before oiling them. Make this one of the tasks you complete each time the season changes to make it easier to remember.

4. Sharpen Shovels, Hoes, and Hand Tools:

Regularly sharpening your gardening tools makes them safer and easier to use. If you are comfortable sharpening them yourself, you can do so with a mill file or flat file that you can purchase for less than $20 at a home improvement store or hardware store. If making sharp edges even sharper does not sound fun (or safe) to you, you can always have them professionally sharpened.

5. Store Tools Properly:

Store your tools in the above-mentioned bucket of sand and oil, hanging on a wall, or handle down in a yard tool organizer. Avoid storing tools with the metal end touching the ground, since that can dull the blades and encourage rust.