Becoming knowledgeable about caring for and the proper use of your gardening tools will not only increase the lifespan of the tool, but it will also help to prevent you from injuring yourself and make taking care of your garden a lot more enjoyable. Take your garden hoses for instance if they aren't coiled up correctly it can cause a tripping accident. The points of an upturned rake can inflict painful and sometimes serious puncture wounds when stepped on, to say nothing about the possibility of the handle flying up and striking you in the face. Tools must not be left where their edges or point may be hidden by grass, leaves, or other material. Try to stay away from lawn mower blades, and this doesn't only mean when they are running, as just brushing up against one that is sharp can leave a nice cut on your hand or arm. If you have a tool with a wooden handle on it and it has a small crack on it, you can repair this with some black tape. It actually works pretty well. A glass filament tape is particularly useful for such a job.
If any of the wooden handled tools that you own have splinters, then you can easily cure this problem by sanding them down smooth. Doing this doesn't only protect your hands, but it will keep the splinters from spreading into full-blown splits which will end up in a broken handle.
A nice way to protect a wood handle is to apply a number of coats of quality varnish or to paint it. You can definitely paint the metal parts on your tools as well, and when you do just make sure that you apply a coat of primer and a couple of coats of exterior paint on top. However, any metal part which goes into the ground should not be painted.
Making the tool last longer shouldn't be the only intent on your painting the tools as when they are painted the proper colors they are much easier to keep track of. The color, therefore, should not be green or brown, but a bright contrast to the grass such as red. yellow, blue, or white.
The metal edges of shovels, hoes, rakes or other yard tools may become nicked. You can repair these easily with a nice metal file or a grinder with a sanding disk if you have one on hand. Any rough surfaces should be gone over with steel wool or other abrasive which is good for metal. By using a simple mallet you can easily pound out any dents that your tools may have. A wheelbarrow break, in the wood or metal parts, should be repaired at once. If you want to preserve your wheelbarrow for a little bit longer period of time, you can easily do so by painting it as this helps to preserve the wood. Any of the moving parts on your tools should be oiled on a regular basis to keep them operating smoothly. Make sure that you keep your tools and a dry spot throughout the winter so your tools aren't harmed by moisture. Before your store your tools always make sure that they are clean and free of dirt and grass. It is always a good idea to coat the metal parts on your tools with a mixture of petroleum jelly and light oil in order to prevent any rusting while in storage.
If you correctly take care of your garden tools they will last you for many many years. - 31813
If any of the wooden handled tools that you own have splinters, then you can easily cure this problem by sanding them down smooth. Doing this doesn't only protect your hands, but it will keep the splinters from spreading into full-blown splits which will end up in a broken handle.
A nice way to protect a wood handle is to apply a number of coats of quality varnish or to paint it. You can definitely paint the metal parts on your tools as well, and when you do just make sure that you apply a coat of primer and a couple of coats of exterior paint on top. However, any metal part which goes into the ground should not be painted.
Making the tool last longer shouldn't be the only intent on your painting the tools as when they are painted the proper colors they are much easier to keep track of. The color, therefore, should not be green or brown, but a bright contrast to the grass such as red. yellow, blue, or white.
The metal edges of shovels, hoes, rakes or other yard tools may become nicked. You can repair these easily with a nice metal file or a grinder with a sanding disk if you have one on hand. Any rough surfaces should be gone over with steel wool or other abrasive which is good for metal. By using a simple mallet you can easily pound out any dents that your tools may have. A wheelbarrow break, in the wood or metal parts, should be repaired at once. If you want to preserve your wheelbarrow for a little bit longer period of time, you can easily do so by painting it as this helps to preserve the wood. Any of the moving parts on your tools should be oiled on a regular basis to keep them operating smoothly. Make sure that you keep your tools and a dry spot throughout the winter so your tools aren't harmed by moisture. Before your store your tools always make sure that they are clean and free of dirt and grass. It is always a good idea to coat the metal parts on your tools with a mixture of petroleum jelly and light oil in order to prevent any rusting while in storage.
If you correctly take care of your garden tools they will last you for many many years. - 31813
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Another way to properly take care of your tools is to keep them organized. A garage tool organizer is a perfect way to do this, and you can read more about my visiting http://gardentoolorganizer.org
