How to extend the life of your garden tools in 3 easy steps

As spring approaches, you’ll want to make sure you have your gardening tools ready to go so you can tackle any job in your garden.

And the way to do that is to take good care of them, which you can do in three easy steps, according to Martha Stewart.

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REMOVE RUST

Over time, rust is bound to appear on your tools.

However, it is important to fix the problem immediately so that there is no further damage, especially if you plan to sharpen them.

For those slightly rusty tools, you can simply remove them with high-grit sandpaper, according to gardener Rebecca Sears who spoke to the outlet.

If that doesn’t work, you can also try using scraped steel wool.

But if your tools are badly rusted, Sears says, “If the rust is so bad it’s made the surface of the steel rough and grainy, I recommend placing a wire brush on a power drill for the best success. “

After tackling light or heavy rust, you’ll want to apply a coat of linseed oil to prevent future discoloration, according to Sears.

SHARPEN YOUR TROWEL

Besides cleaning your tools, sharpening them is a must.

To sharpen a trowel, Garden Genius recommends using a file – but you don’t need to overdo it because a trowel doesn’t need to be too sharp.

Filing the tool too much will only lead to accidents, and you only want to sharpen away from the body.

Sears explained, “Maintain long, even strokes to have consistent sharpness along the edge.”

SHEARS

As for the shears, you will definitely have to file them a lot.

To do this, you will need to keep around you a whetstone, which is a flat stone used to sharpen the blades.

To sharpen, you’ll want to start on a flat surface and run your stone carefully over each blade.

Now that you have your tools ready to go, be sure to check out another gardener’s recommendation for a product that will turn their lawn green in just two hours.

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