Things You'll Need:
- Stiff brush
- Rag
- Water hose
- Hand held knife sharpener or heavy duty file
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Step 1
Before each mowing season, inspect the spark plugs. If it is worn or dirty, replace it. Also check the air cleaner. Replace if it is dirty or damaged.
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Step 2
Check the level of the oil using the dipstick. If the oil is low, add more. If there is too much, drain the excess responsibly. Use the owner's manual for oil checking instructions and determining the type of oil you should be using.
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Step 3
Whenever you mow your lawn, put just enough gasoline so that by the time you are finished, there is no gas (or hardly any gas) left. When doing maintenance involving turning the mower on its side, the fuel tank must be empty anyway.
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Step 4
Clean the top housing of the mower, especially areas where there are vent openings. After mowing the lawn, stop the engine. Take a rag or brush and clean the top of lawn mower from grass pieces and debris.
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Step 5
Clean the bottom of the housing. Drain or use up the remaining fuel in the fuel tank. Tip the lawn mower so that the spark plug is pointing up. If the spark plug is in the front, that is not a problem, as long as it isn't pointing down.
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Step 6
After tipping the lawn mower correctly, take a stiff brush or wire brush and clean the mass of grass under the mower. If the housing has too much thick and wet clumps of grass, use a hose and wash the mess away. Be sure that the debris collects on a place where you can move it easily. If you make a mess on the grass you could kill the grass.
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Step 7
Inspect the mower blade. If the blade is dull, has cracks, or the edge is not completely straight, the blade will need to be sharpened. Place a block of wood against the edge of the blade and the edge of the housing to prevent the blade from moving. Alternatively, there are tools in the hardware store that can clamp the blade down from moving. You can use regular C-clamps to do this too.
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Step 8
The blade can be sharpened in place with a small hand held knife sharpener. This saves time. If it is not possible to sharpen the blade with a knife sharpener, follow the mower's manual to remove the blade and sharpen it by hand using a heavy file.
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Step 9
If the blade is too damaged to sharpen, replace the blade. A typical lawn mower replacement blade costs between $10 to $15 dollars. Know the
blade size and examine how your blade is designed and how it is installed in the mower. You may only find "universal" blades in the hardware store and in some cases, they will not fit correctly and you
will have to order the original part. -
Step 10
After each season, prepare the mower for storage. Follow the directions above as if you are preparing for the next mowing. Make sure the gasoline is empty in the fuel tank by running the engine or by siphoning the rest out. Drain the old oil and replace with new engine oil.
