4 Ways to Properly Clean Gardening Tools

What are the best ways to clean your gardening tools?

1. Brushing them
2. Oiling them down
3. Washing them
4. Scraping off excess 

You’ve learned how to properly clean hand tools, but for this article we’ll tackle how to clean garden tools. While many of them are technically still hand tools, gardening tools such as shears, hoes, rakes, and hoses are more exposed to dirt each time they are used. With all the times we use these kinds of tools, a little cleaning and maintenance wouldn’t hurt and would certainly go a long way.

Garden Shears

Trimming hedges is one of the most common gardening tasks, and that’s where garden shears are useful. They can come in a variety of sizes, as well as numerous variants depending on how you plan on using them. Allowing the dirt and rust to build up on shears lessens its effectiveness.

For this tool, the first thing to do is to scrub off any excess dirt from the blades. Soak the shears in a solution of at least 2 teaspoons of dish soap mixed with clear water and vinegar for at least 30 minutes; then use a steel brush to scrub off the rust, sap, and any dirt of the blades. Once done, simply leave to dry and use again when ready.

Garden Hoes

Another thing that comes with gardening is maintaining order and the arrangements made in the project; and what better tool to use than the garden hoe? These are also used to keep the weeds down in the field, as well as an additional aid for digging if ever you’ll need to till the fields.

To clean a garden hoe, hose down the tool with water. Make sure that the pressure on the hose is strong enough to eliminate any dirt or residue on the tool. Wipe it dry and spray with oil (WD-40) to protect it from rust. If there’s already rust on the tool, soak it in a solution of 50% vinegar and 50% water. Use a steel wool, brush, or crumpled tin foil to scrub the rest of the rust off then wash and oil as normal.

Garden Rakes

Rakes are technically brooms for they outside; they will inevitably get dirty each time they are use as they are used to sweep dead leaves and other garden debrit as well as loosening the soil. Washing a rake is like washing a hoe. Simply hose the tool down after every use until all traces of dirt residue is gone from the tool’s metallic tip. This tool is susceptible to rust so be sure to pat it dry after washing. Should there be traces of rust already, oil down the tip and wipe off the rust before it builds up.

Garden Hose

Of course, the very thing you use to clean these tools are to be cleaned on a regular basis as well. Besides, without this, we wouldn’t be able to ensure that all our other gardening tools are as clean as a whistle!

Soak the garden hose in a kiddie pool or a large bucket full of bleach and leave it in there for over 24 hours. The next day, scrub every inch of it with a brush and make sure that any sign of residue that was loosened by the bleach solution is out of sight from the hose. Once done, your hose will look good as new and ready for action once again.

Key Takeaway

People tend to forget to clean their gardening tools, especially after an exhausting afternoon of gardening. Just keep in mind that it’s always easier to remove dirt when they’re fresh! In addition, think of all the money you’ll save from not having to replace the tools as often.

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