Time to Clean Garden Tools
cleaned, sharpened and well oiled....
Winter is the time to get your garden tools in shape... hand tools such as shovels, picks, trowels, loppers, etc. should be cleaned, sharpened and well oiled.
Steel wool can clean off any rust or caked-on dirt.
And pure white vinegar works to remove rust too: pour into a bucket or small plastic tub or cup. Submerse rusty pruning shears in the solution and soak overnight, or roughly 24 hours.
The acid of the vinegar eats away at most of the surface rust. Wash off the next day...for more on this go to a Backyard Boss article on cleaning pruning shears.
A long ways back, when I taught landscape development and maintenance at college, we would have a large container filled with sand and motor oil and the students put their tools in it....the sand acts an abrasive to remove dirt and the oil prevents rust. But this was not so smart.
Why? Because the petroleum oil goes from the tool into the soil!
Blake Schreck of the Garden Tool Company knows a thing or two about garden tools. And his timely advice is to use boiled linseed oil.
Linseed oil is derived from the dried seeds of the flax plant and is a great alternative to any petroleum based product.
The Garden Tool Co. oils every tool that does not have a finish on it already before it ships. Blake says, "A cautionary note: The boiled linseed oil that is available today has a small amount of solvent added to it to keep it from hardening in the can, so after you apply it to your metal and wood, let it dry completely before using your tool, (about 24 hours) that way the solvent will have evaporated."
Remember to use BOILED linseed oil which dries quickly.
Actual linseed oil can take ages to dry!
Just dip a rag (cotton wool or a cloth) in the boiled oil and coat a thin layer of oil on the metallic parts. Make sure to cover evenly and do not be tempted to add multiple coats or a thick layer of oil. Let it sit for about 15 minutes and then wipe off excess.
Its a good idea to oil the wood handles as well to prevent cracking.
Thicker layers take longer to dry and often do not dry to form a hard surface and multiple layers of thin coats are also not a good idea, because they become prone to being removed when scratched.
Want to learn more about garden tool maintenance? Please see Blake Schreck's "Garden Tool Care and Maintenance" article by Blake Schreck
And that is my annual reminder to you, my wonderful subscribers, (and to me), to get ready for a garden season soon!
I've always been told to clean tools when you put the garden to bed in the fall. How nice to be reminded that wintertime is a great time to complete this chore. Now I can stop feeling guilty that I haven't done it yet. I just have to get out there and do it....
Timely advice, I’ve been gardening throughout the winter, putting my tools away hurriedly when ‘rained off’ - they definitely need some TLC!