How to Sharpen and Care for Garden Tools

Let’s show our hardworking garden tools a little love! Here’s how to clean, sharpen, and spruce up tools for the growing season ahead. Plus, we’re making a smart new tool rack that’ll keep them organized and tidy … and looking good! 

Just as you care for things inside your home, caring for your garden tools means they’ll last much longer—often a lifetime!

We have a handful of important tools. (See our top 10 gardening tools.) Those with blades most definitely need to be cleaned and sharpened for a variety of reasons:

• Clean and sharp tools mean that digging is much easier and the blades or tines of the fork just glide through what they’re up against.
• Sharp pruning tools give a nice, clean, precise cut; blunt blades tend to crush the stems which invites disease.
• Wet mud left on your tools could eventually lead to staining or rust.

Everyday Cleaning

Every time we use our tools, we should blast mud off of tools with the hose and wipe clean with an old rag. Pruning tools may require a wire wool or brush to remove ingrained dirt; wash in soapy water then dry with a rag.

Annual Cleaning (or More Often If Needed)

1. Hand Pruners

If there’s one tool you keep sharp, it should be your pruners.  For hand pruners, start out with a pail of soapy water and a damp cloth. Just wipe away any bits of dirt. If it’s really bad, use a wire brush or pan scourer to get them clean. 

To sharpen your blade, hold the open pruners tightly in one hand pointing towards you. (See the video for help.)  Then you can use a sharpening stone or file whetstone that’s first been soaked in water for five minutes or so.

• Imagine the motion of playing a violin. Make short passes with the sharpening file across the angle of the pruners. Follow angle of the blade in gentle, smooth, short strokes. Sharpen evenly, giving each section of the blade equal time as you work. No need to push down—let the stone do the work. The freshly exposed blade should have an equal depth all the way along it.
• Use the flat side of your stone to remove any metal burrs from the flat side.
• To prevent the blades from rusting, apply a non-petroleum-based oil (which won’t harm plants) to the blade. Just add a tiny amount along the blade and moving parts, then wipe off any excess with a kitchen towel.

2. Digging Tools and Hoes

For long-handled spades, shovels and hoes, start by getting the dirt off with a wire brush and then wipe clean with a rag. If the dirt is really hard, you may need to soften it up by soaking the tool.

Once clean, sharpen the blade. Again, use a metal file on on the cutting edge of the blade, working at a shallow angle. Four or five passes should be enough. Also, do the sides of the blade. Clamping the tool in a vice will make this easier. Finish by oiling the blade edges. Add a tiny speck of oil and rub in with a rag or kitchen towel.

The final job is to give wooden handles some love, too. Clean if needed with sandpaper or a sanding sponge. Polish them with a natural, protective oil such as linseed soil or teak oil.

Tighten up any loose bolts on moving parts and check if any worn-out parts need replacing. Finish by spraying with a tool lubricant. Don’t forget to apply lubricant throughout the year, particularly after heavy periods of pruning.

3. Hedge Trimmers

Sharpening your hedge trimmers can be a little more involved, so it is important to know that there are professionals who can sharpen this tool for you. However, if you’re feeling up to the task, here are some general guidelines for doing this yourself.  For best sharpening directions for the type of trimmer that you have, you will want to check the instructions that came with the trimmer. 

1. Wear gloves and goggles. Whether powered by gas, battery, or electricity, make sure that the trimmers will not start up while you are working on them (for example, unplug the tool or remove its batteries).
2. For a thorough job, remove the bolts that hold the blades together. Clamp each blade in a vice before you work on it. Use a soft cloth, or nylon bristle brush if needed, to remove any dirt on the blades.
3. Use a mill file to sharpen the cutting surfaces of the blades, moving always in one direction, forward toward the cutting edge (not back and forth), and at the recommended angle likely mentioned in the trimmer’s manual. Employ just enough strokes for the blade to become sharp—do not remove too much material. Make sure that all cutting surfaces are filed at the same angle and to the same amount. Only file the cutting edge, not any other parts that connect the teeth.
4. Turn the trimmer upside down and use a whetstone to remove any burrs underneath the cutting edges after you have used the flat file. Only use strokes in one direction, toward the tip of each tooth.
5. Wipe the blade with a soft cloth to remove any remaining debris, then spray the teeth with corrosion protection, such as resin solvent for cleaning/lubricating blades (found in hardware stores). 
6. Reattach the blades and test the trimmers carefully to make sure that they work properly.

It’s so satisfying to see old tools revived to shining like new!

How to Make a Tool Rack

What better way to show off your hard-working tools than with a beautiful tool rack? All we really need to make it is a wooden pallet, some screws, and some wood stain or paint to pretty the whole thing up!

You’ll need to watch the video to see how this is done. Instructions below.

• The pallet boards will run horizontally. Start by measuring the pallet and compare the size against your tallest tools. To make it easy to remove and replace them, remove the top two boards which you can use to give the tool rack some “feet”—so it doesn’t get top-heavy and tip over. 
• Cut boards to size—perhaps three boards—and attach to base using wood screws. 
• Give the whole pallet a good sanding to smooth off the surface, which should give it a much more professional finish.
• Add our wood stain (or paint). Make sure to cover every single exposed surface to both protect the wood and to make it stand out aesthetically. Let it dry.
•  The taller tools can be slotted down into the inside of the rack; but to be able to attach and access the smaller tools, you will need screws for hooks and supports—line them up to fit each tool, and then simply screw them into place. Not bad, eh?

Tools aren’t the sexiest things in the garden, but they are essential and, of course, make everyday gardening jobs so much easier!