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How to Keep Tools Clean and Rust Free
How to Keep Tools Clean and Rust Free. Garden tools can last years, even decades, if you take good care of them. The easiest way to keep the blades of shovels, spades, pruners and hand tools in good shape is to keep them clean and rust free. After every use, I take a few moments to run my tools through a simple tool cleaner. All you need to make...
Garden tools can last years, even decades, if you take good care of them. The easiest way to keep the blades of shovels, spades, pruners and hand tools in good shape is to keep them clean and rust free. After every use, I take a few moments to run my tools through a simple tool cleaner. All you need to make the tool cleaner is sand, vegetable oil and a bucket! I learned this trick at a community garden that has a shed full of tools with gleaming, rust free blades, and it is simple to replicate at home. Here's how.
Things You'll Need
One 5-gallon bucket
One 60-lb. bag of play sand
2 quarts of vegetable oil
Trowel
Wheelbarrow
Pour the play sand into a wheelbarrow. Then, open up the containers of oil and drizzle the oil all over the sand.
Using the trowel, thoroughly combine the oil and the sand. Then, scoop the sand into the 5-gallon bucket, filling it to within 5 inches of the top.
Leaving damp soil on tools can cause them to rust. So, cleaning soil off your tools after each use is a simple way to prolong their life. To clean a tool, plunge it into the bucket of oily sand three or four times, making sure to completely immerse the blade in the sand. The blade should come out clean and with a light coating of oil. Use a soft cloth to rub off any sand and then put your tool away. The light coat of oil will prevent the blade from rusting.
Tips & Warnings
I keep my bucket of sand in my tool shed right by the wall of tools. That way it's right where I need it!
