By Mary Lowther
While gardening for someone else, I learned the hard way how to remove dirt from tools when I'm done with them. In honor of my employer, he saved my face the following week when he took me to the tool shed and confided that "someone" hadn't cleaned the tools before putting them away, explaining that wet dirt that got on the tools remains, may rust. the metal. and rotten wood. I agreed and nodded wisely as I secretly promised to educate myself on tool care.
Some authors recommend having a bucket of sand moistened with oil to soak the shovel after removing dirt buildup, advice I faithfully followed, only to find that I would need two rags: one to remove the dirt, before I dip the tool into the oil sand. , and another to clean the oily sand afterwards. It takes room to shake out the two cloths and keep them separate the next time you're in a rush to get in and put dinner on the table, and who has time for that? The best I can do is clean the tool, put it away and oil it with the other tools in the fall, but I know I can do better.
Fall is here now and it's time to give my tools an extra good cleaning, wash if necessary and treat them like my best friends, assuming my friends like to be scrubbed and oiled. First I inspect the wood for cracks and chips by running my hand over the handle of each tool and then sanding it smooth. If that doesn't work, I have David fix the cracks and keep reminding him until he fixes them or gets me a new one. No crap, just good management. I check metal parts for rust, sand them down, then sharpen shovels, hoes, loppers and anything else that needs sharpening.
Once the tools look healthy, I dampen a rag with tung oil and go over the wood and metal parts to create a waterproof barrier to prevent rust and deterioration during winter storage. I spray moving parts with three-in-one oil and then store all tools in a dry, weather-protected place.
The wheelbarrow gets a little extra treatment because it does all the heavy lifting. Everything is scrubbed, cleaned, sanded and oiled and taken to OK Tire to have the tire repaired and refilled if necessary.
Some gardeners recommend painting the handles of all tools a light color to make them easier to find in the middle of gardening, and you could do that this year. Someone remaining anonymous to protect the perpetrators recently lost his beloved friend while planting some edible chestnut trees, so maybe he should paint his own too. Mind you, if he buries her again it won't help much.
Please contact mary_lowther@yahoo.ca with questions and suggestions as I need all the help I can get.
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