Winter garden tool care involves cleaning, sharpening, sterilizing, lubricating and safely storing them to prevent rust and prolong their useful life. Clean, sharp tools make garden work easier, while damaged or underperforming ones make simple tasks a lot harder. Winter is a perfect time to conduct annual maintenance and establish a storage system that keeps your tools in proper working condition over the winter months and all year long.
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Cleaning and Sharpening
The cutting blades and working surfaces of hand and pole tools such as loppers, scissors, spades and even shovels benefit from cleaning with a stiff nylon or wire brush to remove built-up grime. Once clean, wipe or spray the tool blade and any spring or lever mechanisms with a lubricant such as WD-40. After lubricating, sharpen the blades and cutting edges of your tools by running a sharpening stone across the blade or tool edge at a 20-degree angle, making several passes over each tool. After sharpening, wipe or spray down with a second coating of lubricant to protect the newly sharpened edge.
Sterlizing Your Tools
Garden tools are often used to remove diseased, dying or rotting foliage. The bacteria, fungus and insects from these materials can easily get onto and stick to your tools. Make a solution of 10-percent household bleach to hot water, and wipe down the blades and handles with a clean rag or scrubby pad soaked in the solution. Isopropyl or rubbing alcohol can also sterilize tools. Wipe it on full strength with a clean rag or pad. No need to rinse.
Rust-Free Winter Storage
Garden tools can oxidize and rust over the winter, even when they have been cleaned and lubricated. An effective and low-cost storage solution is to fill a bucket or small trash can with clean, course sand and a few cups of fresh motor oil. Plunge the tools into the oiled sand up to their handle shanks to keep them from rust and oxidation, and to provide a gentle cleaning abrasion to the tool surface. Do this year-round after cleaning your tools.
Keeping gardening tools clean is one of the most important steps in preserving the longevity of the tools. FineGardening.com recommends cleaning gardening...
