How to Store Gardening Tools in the Garage

Winter is a beautiful time for snow-filled activities and holiday spirit, but the cold and snow of the winter months can wreak havoc on your gardening tools if they are not stored properly in your garage. Ideally, your gardening tools should be stored in such a way that they are clean, sharp, and easy to access in the spring months when you need them again. A few steps keep most gardening tools and equipment well-protected and out of the way.

Things You'll Need

• Nails
• Hammer
• 5 gallon bucket
• Old trash can
• Sand
• Oil
• Garden hose
• Old rags
• Coffee can with a lid
• Metal oil or WD-40
• Containers for waste fuels and other liquids

Instructions

Motorized Tools

1. Drain all gasoline or other fuel from your motorized gardening tools (e.g., weed whackers) that are not battery operated. Use a funnel to prevent spills, and store the fuel that still can be used in appropriate containers. Dispose of the waste liquids that cannot be saved in appropriate containers.

2. Drain all gasoline or other fuel from your motorized gardening tools (e.g., weed whackers) that are not battery operated. Use a funnel to prevent spills, and store the fuel that still can be used in appropriate containers. Dispose of the waste liquids such as dirty oil that cannot be saved by putting them in safe containers and taking them to recycling centers or automotive shops that will accept them for disposal.

3. Spray or rub WD-40 or other metal oil on all moving metal parts of the motorized tools.

4. Nail sets of nails into your garage wall approximately 0.5 to 1 inch apart.

5. Hang the motorized tool on the wall using the nail sets. If the tool is too large to be hung on the wall, place it on a set of bricks or concrete or wood blocks to keep it off the garage floor where it can rust.

Large and Small Hand Tools

1. Scrub off all dirt from the tool using a wire brush or an old rag. Rinse your large tools with some water from your garden hose and wipe them dry. Leave them sit in the sun to make sure all excess moisture has evaporated.

2. Sharpen all tools that have blades with a sharpening stone. Coat wooden handles with a light layer of wax to prevent the wood from cracking due to the cold and dryness of the weather.

3. Mix sand and oil together well in the old trash can.

4. Stick the open blades of your tools into the trash can with the sand and oil.

5. Repeat the procedure with a 5 gallon bucket for your small tools, keeping blades open in the sand and oil.

Other Equipment

1. Wash and thoroughly dry your gardening gloves and rags.

2. Put your rags and gloves in a coffee can with a lid to prevent spiders, bees, mice, and other pests from getting into them.

3. Put your burlap sacks and tarps in a plastic container with a lid to prevent insects and pests from ruining them. (Rubbermaid tubs work just fine, although the cold may make them brittle after a few uses.)

4. Drive a few nails into your garage wall approximately 6 to 12 inches apart.

5. Wrap your garden hoses in a circle and hang them on the nails.

References

• Store Garden Tools
• How to Store Garden Tools in the Garage