Ever grabbed your pruners on the first warm day of spring, only to find a rusty blade that chews stems instead of cutting them? A good spring start often comes down to what you do with your tools in November. In this guide you'll learn how to clean, disinfect, sharpen, oil and store your hand tools, shovels and hoses so they're ready the moment the soil thaws.
Why bother with tool care before winter?
Soil holds moisture, and moisture sitting on steel all winter means rust. Dried sap and plant residue also dull blades and can carry disease spores from this year's sick tomato plants into next year's healthy ones.
A sharp, clean tool is easier on your hands and on your plants. Clean pruner cuts heal faster than crushed, torn ones, and a sharp hoe or shovel takes noticeably less effort. An hour now saves you a lot of frustration later.
When should you do it?
The best time is right after your last big fall chores: once the beds are cleaned up and before the ground freezes hard. Wait for a dry, mild afternoon so everything can dry completely before it goes into storage.
Cold-climate note: Here in Minnesota (zone 5a), and anywhere in zones 3–5, that window is usually closing in early-to-mid November. Hoses and anything that holds water should come in before your first run of hard freezes, which for many of us has already started.
How do you clean garden tools?
Start simple. Most of the work is just getting the dirt off and letting things dry.
- Knock off soil: Use a stiff brush or a putty knife to scrape off caked-on dirt. Don't soak wooden-handled tools; a quick rinse is fine.
- Remove sap: Wipe blades with a rag dampened with rubbing alcohol. It cuts through sticky residue on pruners and loppers.
- Disinfect: If you cut diseased plants this year, wipe or dip the blades in 70% isopropyl alcohol. A 1-part bleach to 9-parts water solution also works, but rinse and dry afterward because bleach is hard on metal.
- Tackle rust: Scrub light rust with steel wool or a wire brush. For heavier spots, use fine sandpaper (about 150–220 grit) until you're back to bare metal.
- Dry completely: Towel off, then let tools air-dry for a few hours. Putting away damp steel undoes all your work.
How do you sharpen pruners, trowels and shovels?
You don't need a workshop. A small diamond file or sharpening stone handles pruners, and a flat mill file takes care of shovels and hoes.
- Bypass pruners: Sharpen only the beveled edge of the cutting blade, following the angle that's already there (usually about 20–25 degrees). Use smooth strokes in one direction, then lightly pass the file flat across the back side to remove any burr. Never file the flat face of the blade, or it won't close cleanly.
- Shovels and spades: File the top edge of the blade at roughly the existing bevel. You're aiming for a working edge, not a knife edge; it should slice into soil and roots, not shave paper.
- Hoes: Sharpen the side of the blade that faces you, again matching the original bevel. A sharp hoe slices weeds just under the surface instead of yanking them.
- Trowels and hori hori knives: A few passes on the edge with a file is plenty. Serrated edges can be touched up with a small round file.
Check your progress by running a fingernail lightly across (never along) the edge. If it catches, it's sharp.
How do you oil and protect them?
- Metal: Wipe a thin coat of light machine oil over every blade and pivot. Open and close pruners a few times so the oil works into the spring and bolt.
- Wood handles: Sand rough or splintered spots smooth, then rub in boiled linseed oil with a rag. Let it soak in, then wipe off the excess. Oily rags can self-ignite, so lay them flat outdoors to dry before you throw them away.
- Loose parts: Snug up pivot bolts on pruners and loppers, and tighten any wobbly handles.
Where should you store tools over winter?
- Keep them dry: A garage, shed or basement is ideal. Hang long-handled tools on a wall rather than leaning them on a concrete floor, which wicks moisture.
- Hoses: Drain completely, coil loosely and store indoors. A hose left full of water can split when it freezes. Disconnect hoses from outdoor spigots too.
- Sprayers and watering cans: Empty, rinse and store upside down so they dry out.
- Small tools: A bucket of clean, dry sand mixed with a little oil makes a handy storage spot for trowels and cultivators. Push them in and the sand keeps the blades coated.
A few tools worth having for next season
If a tool is beyond saving, this is a good time to replace it so you're ready for spring:
- Titanium Bypass Garden Pruner Clippers: a bypass design gives clean, healing cuts on herbs, peppers and tomato suckers, and the coated blade resists rust and sticky sap.
- Extra Cushioned Gardening Kneepads: you'll be on your knees plenty this cleanup season and again at spring planting. Your knees will thank you!
- Winter Covers for Raised Garden Beds: once the tools are put away, cover your beds to protect the soil you've built up and give hardy greens a little extra shelter.
And if you're stocking up for next year, orders over $35 ship free.
Ready for spring
That's it: clean, sharpen, oil and store. Do it once this month, and when seed-starting season rolls around you'll be reaching for tools that work as well as they did on day one. Spring always sneaks up faster than you'd think, so it's nice to have the gear squared away early. Give it an afternoon, and enjoy the break!