all you need to know for proper garden tool care and storage!
Proper garden tool care and storage was not something I was always so great about. Full disclosure: I was actually the WORST when it came to caring for my gardening tools.
And it showed – my beautiful pruners and shears eventually turned stiff, rusty and virtually useless.
When I purchased a new set a number of years ago I made a promise to myself – and my tools – to take proper care. And it’s paid off.
As I’m getting ready to shut the gardens down for winter, here’s what I do with my gardening gear!
Here’s what you need:
- Plain steel wool
- Gardening gloves (or latex gloves) to protect your hands (read here for more on my fave gloves!)
- Mineral oil
- Lubricant spray
- Rubbing alcohol
- Alcohol swabs (not essential, but handy)
- Soft rags
- Sharpener
- Clean sand
- Containers for storage (I use an old loaf pan for smaller tools and a large pot for the longer ones)
And here’s what to do:
Wipe or brush off all the loose dirt (a toothbrush is handy for tight spots).
Use steel wool to remove any stubborn patches and/or rust.
Wipe down the blades with alcohol swabs or a rag dipped in alcohol – this cleans and disinfects.
Use the sharpener to sharpen all pruners, shears and scissors.
Spray pruners and shears with lubricant spray – use a cloth dipped in alcohol to remove any excess from handles.
Fill your containers with sand and pour some mineral oil in. Mix well; the consistency should be that of damp sand like you’d find at the beach.
Plunge your tools in and store for the winter!
While not the must fun or glamorous gardening task, it is satisfying to look at all of my clean, sharpened and oiled tools – safely stored away for winter. And it feels even better come spring, when I pull them out of storage, knowing that they’re ready to go.
Now I’ll be ready to go when spring comes – or in the event I want to cut fall leaves for place cards, preserve fresh eucalyptus branches or force some forsythia!
Note: In the years since this post was published, I’ve had many requests for links to the gardening tools I use. Not all are available as of this edit but here’s what I’ve found, with similar items where applicable:
Please note that this post contains affiliate links. As a Rewards Style influencer I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases – at no additional cost to you.
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Hi! I'm Sheri!
Welcome to my little corner of the web where you’ll find easy, delicious recipes, the best kitchen hacks and simple tips for turning your home into a clean haven that is free of toxins. So glad you’re here!
How about using sawdust or wood pellets or something not abrasive to the sharpened edges of the shears. I can’t imagine anything worse for edged tools than sand.
Thanks for writing! I’ve used a mixture of sand moistened with oil for years (which has also been recommended to me by many nurseries and landscapers) – my tools come out each spring clean, sharpened and ready to go! If you try one of these other options and it works please let me know – I’ll be glad to add the tip to the post! 🙂
Can you use vegatable oil instead of mineral oil?
Yes – my landscaping partner uses extra virgin olive oil!! 🙂
What kind of a sharpener
Looks like I had an obsolete link – if you click the link for “sharpener” now it will take you to what I use for my pruners!
I found your info re caring for garden tools great, I’m a great believer in linseed oil my old grandfather used it on all of his woodworking tools.
Thank you! And yes to linseed oil – a staple! 🙂
Don’t you have to clean them again in spring to remove the sand, if small grains of sand are left on pruners, etc it will blunt the cutting edges. I simply clean and oil my tools, using linseed oil on wooden handles and hang them in the shed over winter. They stay rust free and ready to use.
You do – I’ve never NOT done the sand but might try your suggestion next season; thank you! 🙂
You’re very welcome, keep up the good work!
You want Boiled Linseed Oil, not Linseed Oil. They are very different.
Thank you for clarifying – I didn’t know there was a difference!
I love my gardening and my tools are my prize helpers. With carpal tunnel I take really good care of them. I am thankful for your post.
I’m so glad – I feel just the same about my tools! 🙂
I clean and oil my tools and store in a used coffee can with the oil rag. It might be a good idea to use the bucket to store and oil shovels and other large tools. The sand won’t affect those tools. We heavily oil the snips and pruners over winter then wipe down before use in the spring. Also, the use of sprays might not be good for organic gardening so use olive oil or something organic for the sake of the soil and food produced.
Great suggestions; thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Your responses are so open, patient and gracious.
Thank you so much – that really means a lot to me! 🙂 🙂
I just want to thank you for sharing this article on keeping your garden tools over the winter months. I’m going to start this come this fall and get some of the items you use. Thanks again.
Thank you so much! I feel like the hardest part is getting started – once you have everything you need it’s so easy! 🙂
Do you use the same sand year after year or mix fresh sand with oil each fall?
Since I have a big bag of it I just replace each year with fresh!
I just cleaned all my pruners for the winter and feel so proud of myself. I will be storing them in sand that I got at the beach this last summer. I actually keep some of them in the sand as I don’t use them often enough and it keeps them dry and out of the way.
I’m so glad to hear that! I always feel better when I take care of my tools!!
I have a 1 gallon can of WD40. Would it be okay to pour a little bit of that into the sand?
I’ve never personally used it but I know that it’s a popular product to use for tools!
I tried the sand & oil method last winter, using play sand (fine) and linseed oil. But I got something like cement as time went on. In the spring, I had to soak and hack off the dried mixture, not to mention re-sharpening. Where did I go wrong? My husband and I have been angsting over it since. He insists the sand was too fine and I added too little oil. I sure don’t want to go thru this again this winter.
I have never had this problem – I would agree with your husband that the sand might have been too fine; I don’t add much oil. I’ve been doing this literally for YEARS and have loved this method for keeping my tools clean! I hope this helped! 🙂