Storing your gardening tools

Good tools are the key to a good garden and any keen gardener will know they make your life so much easier when they are well maintained. Great tools are an investment worth making as we are rewarded with beautiful gardens, but in order to get the most out of your tools it is incredibly important to take great care of them and this includes storing them correctly. It not only makes your life so much easier but also extends the lifespan of your tools. Prior to storing your tools, they need to be cleaned and sharpened in order to last longer and perform better. Once this is done it is important to consider the best storage option for you such as location and organisation. The best option for tool storage can vary depending on the type of tools. Correct tool storage is valuable all year round but even more so in winter as they are typically being stored for longer.

Small and Manual tools

Thankfully, the easiest to clean tools are the smallest and most often used, such as pruning shears. It is important to maintain clean, sharp and rust-free tools in order to make your life easier and ensure you get the most out of your time and tools. Before storing your tools make sure they have been properly oiled and lubricated as this will ensure they stay rust free and it will extend their life. Another way to ensure you keep your tools rust free is to keep them in a bucket of sand, soaked in oil. This keeps rot and rust away from them. One key thing to note when storing your gardening tools is that you should keep them in a dry environment, the enemy of gardening tools is damp. It is important to make sure you are keeping heat and humidity away from your tools. The smallest tools can be kept in a box if you would prefer however an excellent way to store your tools is on a toolboard on the wall of a garage or outbuilding. It makes them easily accessible, saves space, avoids rust and keeps them off the ground where they are less likely to come into contact with damp. It can also make for an aesthetically pleasing garage if that is what you are after. Organising your garage can save time and effort whilst keeping everything looking tidy. It means everything is kept in one place, you can even arrange things like gloves to be close at hand so that you are ready to go as quick as possible.

Power Tools

Power tools are arguably the hardest ones to maintain, luckily they are usually used least often. When preparing your power tools for storage, the first step is to, obviously, unplug them. Once they are unplugged you can easily dismantle them and clean, oil and lubricate the individual parts accordingly. The best way to store power tools is in their respective cases, if this is possible. This prevents any confusion and tangling of wires. Storing your power tools individually means easy access and that there’s no challenge of sorting through a mess of wires. Storing them in their cases means they are protected from any accidental damage.

Winter Storage

Correct storage of your tools is important all year round but especially in winter as this is usually when your tools are stored for the longest time. It is particularly important to clean and oil your tools for this reason as if they are not cared for properly prior to storage they are less likely to survive the winter. In the winter, frost is a big threat to both gardens and gardening tools. Therefore, it is important to make sure that, wherever they are kept, they are kept protect from the wet and frost.

DG