If you know how to maintain garden tools and use them accordingly, you can enjoy their use for a longer time, further enjoy your gardening and avoid serious injuries. For instance, you have to learn how to uncoil a hose properly to avoid getting hurt as you trip on the loose coil. If you laughed at that old Simpsons episode where "Sideshow Bob" got struck in the face by multiple upturned rakes, there's nothing funny about that in real life - these things could happen if you don't place your rakes in a safe place after use. Sharp tools should also be kept in a safe place, and not anywhere that grass or leaves can disguise their points or edges. And it's a no-brainer to avoid touching the blades of a lawn mower, because the mere touch of them could result in a gruesome injury.
All you would need is a little tape to repair a tiny crack in any wooden handle. These tasks can be done with glass filament tape, to be specific.
Splinters in wooden handles of rakes, hoes, and shovels can be cured by sanding the surface until it becomes smooth again; this not only protects your hands, but keeps the cracks from spreading and causing the handle to break. A good way to preserve a wood handle is to apply several coats of quality varnish or to paint it. The metal parts of the tool may be painted, with a primer coat, and two coats of exterior paint. The metal ends of the aforementioned tools cannot be painted - be mindful of this.
Preserving your tools with a nice coat of paint is important enough, but safety can be guaranteed by painting your tools' handles in a contrasting, preferably bold color like red or yellow - in fact, any color would do as long as it is not green or brown in any shade, which could cause a camouflage effect against the grass. The metal ends of your garden tools have potential to get nicked, but these nicks can be fixed. A metal file would be very useful in smoothing them. Any rough surfaces should be gone over with steel wool or other abrasive which is good for metal. Use a mallet and hammer against any dents to straighten them out. Wheelbarrows can suffer wood or metal part damage, and these have to be taken care of ASAP. Preservation can be accomplished by painting your wheelbarrow. The moving parts need occasional oiling, to run smoothly. For winter storage, keep tools in a dry spot as dampness could be harmful. Any soil, grass or other tiny debris must be cleaned off your tools before storing them. Rusting can be prevented by rubbing your tools' metal parts with a mixture of light oil (emphasis on light) and petroleum jelly.
Maintain the long life and proper care of your garden tools and you will be richly rewarded with years, even decades of quality usage.
All you would need is a little tape to repair a tiny crack in any wooden handle. These tasks can be done with glass filament tape, to be specific.
Splinters in wooden handles of rakes, hoes, and shovels can be cured by sanding the surface until it becomes smooth again; this not only protects your hands, but keeps the cracks from spreading and causing the handle to break. A good way to preserve a wood handle is to apply several coats of quality varnish or to paint it. The metal parts of the tool may be painted, with a primer coat, and two coats of exterior paint. The metal ends of the aforementioned tools cannot be painted - be mindful of this.
Preserving your tools with a nice coat of paint is important enough, but safety can be guaranteed by painting your tools' handles in a contrasting, preferably bold color like red or yellow - in fact, any color would do as long as it is not green or brown in any shade, which could cause a camouflage effect against the grass. The metal ends of your garden tools have potential to get nicked, but these nicks can be fixed. A metal file would be very useful in smoothing them. Any rough surfaces should be gone over with steel wool or other abrasive which is good for metal. Use a mallet and hammer against any dents to straighten them out. Wheelbarrows can suffer wood or metal part damage, and these have to be taken care of ASAP. Preservation can be accomplished by painting your wheelbarrow. The moving parts need occasional oiling, to run smoothly. For winter storage, keep tools in a dry spot as dampness could be harmful. Any soil, grass or other tiny debris must be cleaned off your tools before storing them. Rusting can be prevented by rubbing your tools' metal parts with a mixture of light oil (emphasis on light) and petroleum jelly.
Maintain the long life and proper care of your garden tools and you will be richly rewarded with years, even decades of quality usage.
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