Winter Upkeep for Outdoor Tools

Winter is here and you are tucking away your landscaping and gardening tools until spring (assuming you live in a climate with cold winters). Here is a good way to keep your tools in tip-top shape while in your storage shed until spring.

1. Scrape off any excess mud or dirt. You may need to soak the tool.

2. Use a small piece of steel wool to remove rust from the tool. Remember to wear gloves.

3. Sand wooden handles so you won't face splinters months down the road.

4. Sharpen tools like spades with a file made for sharpening tools.

5. Spray metal parts with a penetrating lubricating oil to protect from rust.

6. Make sure your storage shed is dry. You do not want your tools to lay in water for several months, as this could ruin them.