Pure Water is Healthy Water

Garden tools, whether complex ride-on lawnmowers or simple handheld tools, need to be in good condition to do their job properly. During the winter months, your garden tools will be placed into storage either in your garage or a self-storage unit to protect them from the elements, but if they are not properly stored, they can become damaged or even break during this period of disuse. Understanding how to properly store your garden tools can help you keep them in the best condition possible until they are needed again.

Rust Prevention

The most important thing that you should do when putting away metal garden tools for the winter is ensure that they will not be damaged by rust, which can eat away at the metal and make your tools totally useless. In order to do this, you should find a storage unit or area in your home or garage that receives a decent amount of air circulation to prevent the buildup of humidity. You should also make an effort to clean and dry all of your metal tools before you move them into storage to remove any water or contaminants that may already be on them. For extremely valuable metal tools, you can stick them in a bucket of sand – the sand will absorb any moisture before it has the chance to come into contact with the metal.

Maintenance

You should also take the time to clean and maintain all of your garden tools before putting them in storage. For tools that already have small amounts of rust on them, you should make use of a wire brush or steel wool to remove the rusted bits. For tools that have wood on them, you should sand the wooden areas lightly with fine sandpaper and then oil them to keep them protected. Linseed oil and other types of wooden polishes work well to protect wooden tools from rot and water damage over the winter months.

Fill the Gas Tank

For any gas powered garden tools, you should make sure that the gas tank is full before you put them into storage. This is because if there's any room in the gas tank, water can accumulate, which can encourage rust growth on the inside of the gas tank, eventually eating a hole through the tank itself. This will mean that you will have to replace the entire appliance, which can be quite expensive.

For more tips, contact a company like Ralph Palmisano Movers.