Knowing how to properly use and maintain garden tools will increase their life, help prevent personal injury, and increase your gardening enjoyment. Hoses, for example, may be left uncoiled and become an injury waiting to happen – you will want to uncoil them properly. Upturned rakes hitting people in the face are more than just a cartoon joke – they can happen in the real world, and can be really painful, not to mention the possibility of its points puncturing your feet when stepped on. Many people make the mistake of storing some tools underneath the grass, but this too is a deadly injury trap as the grass is all too convenient to hide the sharp edges.

Keep your fingers away from the blades of the lawn mower: merely striking your hand against the blades can lead to a brutal injury. A small, slight crack in a wooden handle can be repaired by wrapping the handle with tape. You'll want to use glass filament tape for such a simple task.

You can cure splinters on your wooden handles of rakes or shovels by sanding the surface and smoothing it out – this also protects your hands and ensures that the cracks do not spread throughout the handle and cause it to eventually break off. Varnish can also protect your wood handles' finish – just make sure you're using only the best quality – and you can also paint them as well. Use one primer coat and two coats of exterior paint to take care of the metal parts of your tools. Be careful, though, not to paint any metal part that is meant to go into the ground.

Aside from preservation by paint, the tools are easier to find when their handles are of a color which makes them conspicuous if left lying on the grass: The color, therefore, should not be green or brown, but a bright contrast to the grass such as red. yellow, blue, or white. The metal edges of shovels, hoes, rakes or other garden tools may become nicked. These may be smoothed with a metal file. Steel wool or other abrasive substances that work well with metal can take care of the metal edge's rougher surfaces. Straighten those dents by pounding on them with a mallet. Don't waste any time if you have to repair any kind of breakage in your wheelbarrow, whether wood or metal. Painting the wheelbarrow helps preserve the wood. Add enough oil to the wheels to ensure it runs smoothly. Dampness can affect your tools so keep them in a dry place during the winter months. Wipe all tools clean of any dirt or grass before being stored. The metal parts should be coated with a mixture of petroleum jelly and light oil, to prevent rust.

Caring for your garden tools will help them last year after year!

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