On a late fall afternoon, a look around the yard shows the bulbs are planted, the mulch spread and the leaves raked. What is left to do? An array of garden tools need attention before winter storage.

A Chicago Botanic Garden Fact Sheet titled, “Preparing Tools for Winter” categorizes tools as digging, cultivating, raking, or cutting. When preparing tools for cleaning, it is helpful to group the tools into these categories. Yard machines are another category. Common methods are used among the groups because the tools are made from similar materials.

While it is important to clean tools after each use, it is also important to clean and inspect the tools before storing them for the winter. Without frequent cleaning, pathogens can transfer from plants to garden beds or when plants touch each other. End of season cleaning and sanitizing ensures diseases are not transmitted from year to year and tools are ready to use at the first hint of spring.

Digging tools are a good place to start. Typically, the tools do not have moving parts, so cleaning and sanitizing focuses on digging edges and handles, whether short- or long-handled. Trowels, shovels, or spades may have heavy or caked-on dirt stuck to the digging surface. Use a wire brush or a stiff-bristled brush to remove the dirt and rust. Then clean with water, soap, or detergent to get rid of grease and grime. Rinse the tool in a bucket of water. If the tool will not fit in a bucket, use a hose with a sharp stream to remove dirt and debris. A sharp stream will easily get into tight or narrow spaces like tines on a pitchfork. Use steel wool to remove rust.

After cleaning, disinfecting is the next step. A 10 percent bleach solution is commonly used for both daily and seasonal sanitizing. Disinfectant wipes may be helpful for small tools. Once cleaned, and disinfected, apply a thin coat of light oil (such as mineral oil) or silicone spray.

Examine the edges, checking for nicks, dents, or other damage. Files may remove the nick or smooth the digging edge of trowels, shovels, or pitchfork tines. Pay attention to the handles whether short or long handled. Clean the handles with soapy water and examine for damage. Replace cracked wooden handles and sand damaged wood handles to smooth out splinters, rough spots, or nicks. Then when dry or repaired, apply light oil. Handles made of other materials can be repaired using the appropriate tools and refinishing products.
Cultivating tools are used to prepare soil for planting, removing weeds, and aerating mulch. The materials used to make cultivating tools are similar to those for digging tools. Hand cultivators, hoes, and garden forks are common cultivating tools. The cleaning and sanitizing methods are similar: Remove soil and debris and clean with soap and water. Repair nicks, rough spots, and damage with files, sandpaper, or steel wool. After cleaning and repairing wooden handles, treat the handles with lightweight oil. Replace cracked handles. Apply light-weight oil or silicone spray to plastic or metal handles.
Rakes are usually long handled but there are adjustable models with extendable handles. The head typically has tines or teeth to facilitate preparing garden beds or collecting debris, especially leaves. Because the teeth or tines are arranged close together, more attention to cleaning is required.

Most rakes will not fit into a bucket, so a hose with a sharp spray makes cleaning raking tools easier. Ensure the rake is dry and then continue with the sanitizing and repairing processes recommended for other types of garden tools.

It is important to keep cutting tools sharp to reduce the introduction of diseases and pathogens. Clean cuts also allow plants to heal faster. Because cutting tools have moving parts, cleaning can be a bit more challenging. It is easier to clean the parts of pruners, shears, or loppers when they are taken apart. Check for damage, especially the cutting edges. Sap of other sticky substances can adhere to the tool’s cutting surfaces. Clean with turpentine. Reassemble the tools before sharpening. It may be necessary to put the tool in a vise.

An article from the National Gardening Association, “Garden Tool Maintenance: Cleaning and Sharpening” states the importance of identifying the tool as either a bypass or anvil cutter. Sharpening methods are different for each type of tool. Bypass pruners work like scissors. The blades are slightly curved to hold stems and branches. Sharpen the cutting blade only. Anvil pruners and loppers have one blade that comes down on the other blade. Sharpen both sides of the cutting blades. If uncertain as to the type of tool, take cutting tools to a professional tool sharpener.

Store tools in a dry space. To avoid damage, make sure the tools are not touching each other. Keep wooden-handled tools from contacting cement surfaces. Otherwise, the handles might absorb unwelcome moisture.

Yard machines, such as mowers and hedge trimmers have manuals which provide maintenance requirements and the best information for a particular machine.
Whether a favorite old tool or a new tool, careful attention to cleaning, repairing, and storing garden tools extends the life of the tools and gives the gardener the joy of using them through all seasons for many years.
For questions on this subject or any gardening topic call the Master Gardener Helpline: In New Castle County, 302-831-8862; in Kent County, 302-730-4000; and in Sussex County, 302-831-3389. For information about master gardener workshops, visit: udel.edu/master-gardeners and click on Garden Workshops.