The Easiest Way to Keep Your Garden Tools Sharp and Clean
You probably only use your garden tools a few times a year, but when you do, you want them to be sharp, rust-free, and ready to go. This means storing them properly, whether it’s months in the winter or a few days or hours during the peak growing season. Luckily, there is an easy way to store your tools and keep them sharp and clean at the same time.
What you need
This trick is a favorite of Jillee and Creekline House ‘s One Good Thing home and garden blogs, not least because you only need three easily accessible things to pull it off. Here’s what you can buy in the store:
- Terracotta pot big enough to hold your tools
- Small bag of sand
- Mineral oil
First, you’ll need enough sand to fill the pot, but you’ll also need to mix it with mineral oil, so you may also need a bucket or other vessel large enough for mixing. Add mineral oil little by little, keeping in mind that while you want all of the sand to be covered, you also want it to retain its grainy, crumbly texture. You can always add more, but you can’t take it out if you add too much.
Once everything is properly mixed, place the oil-dampened sand in the terracotta pot so that there is enough room at the top so that the volume can change if you stuff a lot of tools. The next part is easy: just stick the blades and metal parts of your tools into the sand.
Why is this a good storage solution?
A little oil coating will not only protect your metal tools from rusting, but the sand will sharpen them a bit every time you dip them like sandpaper. This means that not only will they not be damaged during storage, but they will also be slightly better every time you take them out.
Things to Keep in Mind
As a precaution, rinse tools before using them so that residual oil does not get into the ground or onto the work area while gardening. Oil is not good for animals that may be found in your garden, plus there is no benefit to keeping it around or on your things.