Proper maintenance of gardening tools increases their life and gives you joy when using them. The instruments with proper care tend to last for generations. Taking care of the gardening tools is also essential as you have spent a good amount on their purchase. So, it does not make sense not to take care of the gardening equipment.

For maintenance, clean the tools regularly, and oil them. For deep cleaning gardening tools and equipment, read the tips below and learn to give proper attention to your expensive gardening tools.

The first and foremost thing is to clean your tools after each use. Regular cleaning (after use) keeps diseases, fungus, weed seeds, and insect eggs away from the gardening tools. What if you don't clean your tools? They will become carriers to spread such harmful things to your garden and eventually destroy it.

The tools that come into direct contact with the soil, like hoes, trowels, rakes, and spades, should be rinsed with water after every use.

2. Apply oil to avoid rusting

The earlier step recommended rinsing and cleaning the tools after each use. At times, the gardening equipment gets rusted even after the proper cleaning. It is when the equipment is exposed to oxygen. What to do in such instances? 

To avoid the tools from getting rusty, apply inexpensive motor oil to the equipment. The oil application on the steel tools insulates the equipment and avoids oxidizing, which is a major cause of rust.

3. Store the tools in a dry place

Do you know which thing is the worst enemy of gardening equipment? It is the moisture. Moisture heavily damages the gardening tools. Prevent the tools from exposure to moisture. For this, always store the tools in a dry area and preferably hang them. Doing this will increase the lifespan and prevent the tools from rusting.

4. Lawn Mower Maintenance

Mostly, the homeowners mow the lawn grass with a lawn mower. It is a highly efficient machine that cuts the yard's grass and gives it a beautiful shape. Similar to the other equipment, lawn mower maintenance is compulsory. 

Clean the lawn mower after every use as the deck of the lawn mower heavily encrusted the dried grass that may harm the machine's blades. To avoid any worst scenario, take care of the lawn mower and clean it after each use. 

1. After mowing the lawn, push the lawn mowing machine under a shed.

2. Clean a lawn mower after each use and change its oil and spark plug when necessary.

3. Clean lawn mower carburetor without removing.

4. Sharpen the lawn mower blades once a year.

5. Balance the lawn mower blades.

6. Clean its air filter.

7. Remove the oil from the lawn mower if you are discontinuing the use of the machine for more than 30 days.

5. Sharpen the tools

The sharp tools give you joy during the maintenance of the lawn. If the gardening tools are blunt and rough, you won't provide a tidy look to the yard. Sharpening is itself a complicated procedure. However, not doing so can put you in more complications.

Get a hand file to sharpen the tools like hoes, trowels, shovels, and axes. For knives and shears, you will need a honing stone. If the tools are extremely dull, you might need to sharpen them with the high-speed grinding stone.

Similarly, the lawn mower blades become dull over time, so sharpen lawn mower blades when required.

Never neglect the wooden handles of your gardening equipment. Usually, the wooden handles are on the loppers, spades, and forks. The wooden handles of such equipment are prone to cracks. When the cracks appear, repair them using heavy-duty hockey-stick tape. Moreover, replace the handles if the cracks are not repairable with the hockey-stick tape.

Clean the wooden handles of the gardening equipment with a cloth for better safety. Further, apply sand and boiled linseed oil to add more life to the wooden grips.

When you have spent a significant amount on gardening equipment, you should properly maintain the tools. Placing the equipment in the right place is extremely important. After each use, hang the gardening tools properly. Hang the tools by their handles to avoid damaging their sharpened edges. 

The gardening tools are not cheap. If you don't maintain them regularly, they will get rusty, and eventually, you will have to purchase new tools while burdening your pocket. The continuous use of anything without maintenance lessens their lifespan. So, always clean the gardening equipment and replace the outdated tools. My DIY Decor recommends buying quality products, as they are durable, long-lasting, and give easy maintenance.