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Now that is officially winter, it’s time to put away the lawn mower and other lawn and garden tools if you haven’t already done so.
How you treat those tools now will make a difference when it’s time to bring them out of storage and put them to good use.
With that in mind, All Seasons Nursery Landscaping and Home Garden Showplace in Lafayette offered tips on how winterize your tools during one of its seminars.
Don Weintritt provided these 10 tips:
1 Pull the cap off the spark plug on any gas-powered equipment you plan on servicing. This will prevent any accidental firing of the engine and avoid injury.
2 Clean all grass and debris from the mower deck before storing. Remove and sharpen the blades. Use the rough side of a metal file to remove nicks and dents in the blade edge, and then use the finer side to smooth. A mower blade does not need to be knife-edge sharp.
3 Drain engine oil into a sealable container and replace with new oil. Dispose of old oil at an approved facility, such as most auto parts stores. Remove and clean the air filter with water or compressed air. An oily filter can be cleaned with gasoline or rubbing alcohol. Allow the filter to dry completely before returning it to the engine.
4 Burn all the remaining gasoline out of the engine or add a fuel stabilizer. Store your mower in a dry place, such as a shed or garage. If shelter is not available, raise the mower off the ground with a pallet or bricks, and cover well with a tarp. Do not put a tarp beneath the mower, as this will catch water and can cause parts to rust in storage.
5 Wipe all hand tools such as shovels and pruners with gasoline or rubbing alcohol. This will remove heavy residues like tree sap and prevent any spread of fungus and plant diseases your tools may have encountered. Clean all hand tools with a steel wool pad (the kind WITHOUT the soap) or wire brush and an all-purpose spray lubricant. Work the action on moving parts such as pruner blades. Wipe with a clean, dry cloth.
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