Tips for storing and caring for your gardening tools | Gardening 101 | Gardening Australia

Tools are a gardener’s best friend, and if you care for them, they can last a lifetime. But many of us are hard on tools, at times storing them wet and dirty. Millie wants to install a simple system to help clean and store her digging tools easily. Subscribe 🔔 http://ab.co/GA-subscribe

The first step is to clean them regularly, washing or even scrubbing off any excess soil. Then to dry and store them. Millie is also creating a bath of washed sand, mixed with oil to further clean the tools. Plunging the blade of a spade in and out of the sand helps to remove any fine soil particles, and the oil coats the blade to protect it from rust. Smaller hand tools can be stored in the sand bath, so you always know where to find them!
Traditionally, mineral oil which is a petroleum-based product. As an experiment, Millie is trialling organic grapeseed oil as an alternative.

Cleaning and storing tools properly can be a challenge, particularly in a busy spring! By installing a simple little system, you can keep them digging for years to come.
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