Winterizing Garden Tools: Cleaning and Storage Guide

Each garden tool will last a lifetime if you winterize it properly. They aren’t disposable! Tools require a bit of maintenance and upkeep to continue working well for decades to come.

This is, of course, not true for all of them. Some are cheaply made, with plastic handles or hinges instead of metal or wooden ones. Though some are cheap and others are expensive, proper care helps them all last longer than they normally would.

Take pruners, for example. Metal pruners will rust without care. With consistent sharpening and cleaning, a pair of metal pruners will last you your entire lifetime! 

As not much gardening happens in the cold months, this season is perfect to winterize your garden tools. Lay yours down to rest by following this handy-dandy cleaning and storage guide.

Remove Debris

The word tools is all-inclusive! It refers to shovels, pruners, rakes, and gardening machines. All of your tools require winterizing to stay in tip-top shape. 

Start by removing debris from each tool. Wash off dirt with a hose, and use an old sponge to scrub sap, mud, and dried plant matter off. Don’t worry about hurting the tools! They’re tough, and they can handle a rough scrubbing.

Be sure to scrub in between pruner blades, underneath removable handles, and in all the nooks and crannies you can find. Any remaining debris may hide rust underneath, and rust is the secret killer of garden tools! Don’t worry if rust won’t come off. First focus on getting all the muck off. 

Rub Rust Off

Continue to winterize each tool by looking for and removing rust. Rust is an orange-brown powdery substance that forms on metal surfaces with iron. It needs moisture to spread, and any lingering water can cause rust outbreaks over the winter.

Rust isn’t alive; it’s a chemical reaction that occurs when metals oxidize and corrode. Strong pieces of metal turn into flaky, orange messes full of rust. The good news is that it’s easy to remove and prevent. 

To remove rust, use a wire-mesh scrubber. Scrub it hard against the rust, moving the scrubber in small circles until you remove it all. Don’t leave any spots, as they may spread when humidity levels rise. 

Sterilize Pests

Sterilization prevents diseases and pests from overwintering. Some pesky conditions can linger on shovels or pruning blades, and they’ll reinfect your trees next year if you prune them with the dirty pruners. Effectively winterize the garden tools by sterilizing them annually when you’re done using them. 

For optimal pest control, it’s best to sterilize a tool after every usage. Many gardeners, including myself, forget to do this! We may wander and prune the trees of the garden, then set our pruners down without cleaning them. Don’t worry if this is you, too. Simply sterilize your pruners this winter to prepare them for next year.

Use rubbing alcohol to sterilize metal tools. It’s cheap and easy to find at the store, and it works well to clean and disinfect your tools. Dab it onto a rag or cotton swab, then cover the garden tools in the alcohol. It’ll evaporate and dry quickly.

Rubbing alcohol is tough on hard-to-remove stains. If plant sap or stuck-on dirt won’t come off, use the alcohol like soap to remove it. Cover the debris in alcohol, and scrub the stains with the metal scrubber until they come off.

Let Tools Dry

Winterize garden tools properly by letting them dry! They must not have any lingering moisture; otherwise, they’ll rust in storage. Let the alcohol evaporate after sterilization, then use a towel to dry any remaining pools of water. 

Air drying works well, especially on warm, hot days. If it’s wet and humid outside, let the tools dry inside and store them when the water is gone. The moisture may linger and create rust if it sits on the metal for a day or longer. 

Also, ensure the storage space is dry and free of humidity or moisture. A wet location will ruin all the metal tools. If you lack outdoor storage, then keep the garden supplies in a box indoors. Put the box in your closet, at the back of the pantry, or anywhere else there’s room. 

Winterize Tools

Cleaning is crucial to winterize your garden setup. After the cleaning process, you’ll want to sharpen, condition, and oil each tool. These procedures rejuvenate the tools so they work as good as new next year. 

Sharpen Dull Blades

Each cut dulls the blade. Your loppers, pruners, and handsaws require sharpening to keep cutting well. A dull blade will create uneven cuts, and it’ll damage your poor trees. 

As with sterilizing, it’s best to sharpen your tools after or before every use. It’s easy to forget to sharpen, which is why it’s good to do it once a year when you winterize your garden tools. This ensures that the blades receive at least one sharpening session a year.

Pruners and loppers are easy to sharpen. Purchase a handheld sharpening tool with a carbide stone, and run it over the sharp part of the blades at an angle. Repeat this two to three times on the sharp side of the blade, moving in a single direction and not back and forth. Then, run the sharpener once on the other side to remove any burrs and to smooth uneven dings. 

Handsaws and blades with teeth require files to sharpen. Find a file that fits into the teeth of the saw, then run it over each tooth to sharpen the blade. Sharpening saws with irregular teeth is complicated, and it may be better to take them to a professional sharpener than to try it yourself.

Condition Wooden Handles

Wooden handles may form splinters and uneven edges over the course of the growing season. Hard digging, rough handling, and normal wear-and-tear may cause this to happen. Refresh them this fall so you don’t get splinters next spring! 

Start by taking sandpaper to the handle. Smooth all the rough edges, and sand away any splinters that are sticking out. Wear gloves and eyeglasses to keep your hands and eyes safe during the process.

Sanding the wood removes the varnish, if there is one. The varnish protects the wood from the elements, keeping it safe from moisture and rot. After sanding the wooden handles, paint them with a staining product to seal their exterior. 

Apply Oil

Oil keeps things moving! It ensures pruners close and open without metal screeches, and it keeps hinges running smoothly. After cleaning, sharpening, and sterilizing, it’s best to apply oil to your garden tools that need it. 

WD-40 works well, as does any product made for oiling tools. If you don’t have these, use whatever oil you have. Apply a thin layer of coconut oil or use vegetable oil. 

Don’t soak them in oil; simply coat them with a thin layer and let them dry. Use a Q-tip to add oil to screw holes, hinges, and edges. 

If you didn’t apply a staining product to your tools’ wooden handles, you may oil them instead. Oil works similarly to block water from seeping in. Use linseed oil, as it’s perfect for oiling both metal and wooden parts. 

Store Until Spring

Proper storage ensures that the clean garden tools winterize well. They’ll stay secure during the cold months, and all the work you did this season will pay off next spring. 

Keep your supplies in a dry place with protection from the elements. Keep them in a shed outdoors or in a similar structure with a roof. Check the structure to ensure no water leaks or pools inside. 

If you lack outdoor storage space, use the trick mentioned above. Simply store the dry supplies in a box, and keep the box in a closet or unused cubby in your home.