Stay sharp: care of gardening tools and accessories


Don’t just pile up your tools, give them a good cleaning and sharpening for a quicker start next year.
This fall was just the best in ages. Not only did Mother Nature put on the most colorful panorama of fall leaves, but the mild temps let us extend our growing season by weeks.
But cool temps have arrived, and gardeners have more time on their hands. And you know the old saying, idle hands are the devil’s workshop, which for me usually means heading to the fridge for a snack. So put down that leftover pizza, and let’s head to the shed to sharpen and prep our garden tools for next year.
I know, it is easy at the end of the garden season to just toss all the tools into a bucket and roll the lawnmower and rototiller back into the garage and put their care on the long end of the to-do list. We have months before we need them again, right?
Exactly, but months with wet soil and clippings clinging to the implements can not only make it harder to clean in the spring, the crusted-on remnants can also rust and do damage. And you know how quickly and how busy spring happens faster every year; why not use this down time to have everything ready?
For me, the first job is to find my tools. It is like I am on some archeological dig surveying the yard to find that last digger or trowel I left out there when I had to rush off to do something else. I have to confess that my most treasured hand tool, a three-prong hand rake my grandfather made from some scrap he salvaged while working for the railroad, spent 3 seasons in my vegetable garden before I found it. It was like the story of the prodigal son returning home. I thought it was lost forever. But true to my grandfather’s skills, it was no worse for the wear.
First, if you are cleaning any motorized tools, be sure to remove the power source. You don’t want to be called Stubby at your next holiday gathering, do you? Then for all tools, scrape any excess clods of soil off before washing. I find that a stiff wire brush is the best tool for this. Then wash tools in warm, soapy water. Be sure to get into all the cracks and crevices. Check your instructions (that you probably threw away the day you bought the tool) to see if there are parts that can be unscrewed for a more thorough cleaning. This is particularly true for some of the better pruning tools. And even if you tossed those instructions, you can now find almost every instructional manual for anything online these days.
One other note about cleaning tools with soapy water: It is a good reminder during the garden season to use soap and water on tools each time you have been working in poison ivy. The essential oil that gives us that oozing, burning itch, urushiol, can be spread from our tools to skin.
I have often talked to gardeners that can’t imagine why they keep getting poison ivy, even though they removed it weeks or months ago. I then ask if they washed their tools (and maybe their dog, as they don’t get poison ivy because of their thick coats, but they can spread it to us) as they can be the source of the remaining poison ivy oil residue.
All the soap and water still may not get the last spores or bacteria of plant disease off your tools, so it is good to sanitize them, too. You can use a 10:1 water to bleach solution, but bleach starts to evaporate quickly, and the concentration may not be the same.
I prefer to use straight rubbing alcohol. Swish your tools back and forth in rubbing alcohol for 10 seconds, and you are good to go. The alcohol also aids in the drying process. It is important to make sure that your tools thoroughly air dry, as water and metal do not make for good bedfellows.
Now it is time to sharpen those tools. Usually gardeners think of their pruners and loppers when they think of sharpening, but don’t forget shovels. There is nothing like using a sharpened spade to slice into some soil.
Finally, coat your tools with a thin layer of oil. Oil creates a barrier to moisture to avoid rust (oxidation). Apply a generous amount of oil to any springs or moving parts and let it soak in, then wipe away any excess. And don’t forget to oil the wooden handles. My grandpa always kept a bucket of sand that had been soaked with linseed oil that we stored all hand tools in.
But you are not done here. Don’t forget to disconnect and drain all your hoses. Unless, of course, you want a Tommy Bartlett Water Show (minus the water ski team) in your basement next spring.

Doing lawnmower maintenance after the last mowing of the season saves time for gardeners in the busy spring.