Hi.

I'm Tom Butzler from Penn State Extension.

On this episode, we'll go over cleaning and storing your gardening tools.

We'll go over which tools you should clean, how you should clean your tools, and more.

Let's get started.

As we enter the winter months, now is a good time to do some maintenance on your gardening tools, but they really should be cleaned after each use as it will remove potential disease.

This is especially the case when pruning disease or rotting parts of plants.

In these cases, clean the tool you're using immediately afterwards.

Cleaning your tools will help to make them last longer, and will be more effective when you start gardening again in the spring.

Most of the materials you'll need for cleaning your gardening tools, you likely already have.

You can use a garden hose, putty knife or plastic scraper, wire brush or steel wool, cloths, a bucket, chlorine bleach, turpentine or lighter fluid, dish-washing liquid, WD-40, and vegetable oil.

After you are done pruning off diseased or rotting parts of a plant, clean your tool immediately afterwards to prevent spreading disease to other plants.

Simply fill a bucket with one part chlorine bleach and nine parts water.

Then soak the tools in this mix for 10 minutes, then wipe dry.

An effective way to clean soil off tools is with your garden hose, putty knife, and soapy water.

Place your tools on a concrete or other hard surface, then use your garden hose on full spray to blast the soil off the tools.

For any remaining soil that is stuck on, use a putty knife or other scraper to remove it.

You can also use a bucket full of hot soapy water.

Add one half teaspoon of dishwashing soap to one gallon of hot water.

After removing the heavy soil off the tools, place them in the soapy water and let them soak for 15 to 20 minutes.

Rinse each tool with cool water and dry.

You should inspect your tools for signs of rust, and remove the rust if present.

An effective way to remove rust is by using a wire brush or steel wool and vegetable oil.

Coat the tool lightly with vegetable oil, which will aid in removing the rust, then scrub with a wire brush or steel wool.

If your tools seem to have a sticky substance on them, it may be sap or insect residue.

To remove this residue, dip a cloth in a little bit of turpentine or lighter fluid.

Most department stores will also have residue cleaning products you can use.

Wipe the tool down until the sticky substance is removed.

It's a good practice to disinfect your garden tools before storing them.

As mentioned earlier, you can disinfect your tools by mixing one part chlorine bleach and nine parts water in a bucket, soaking your tools in the water mixture for 10 minutes, then drying completely with a cloth.

Another similar mixture is two cups of chlorine bleach per one gallon of water.

It's best to return tools to your storage area after each use and cleaning so that they stay dry and rust-free.

For tools that you'll store away during the winter, such as trowels and other hand tools, you can keep them in a sand and vegetable oil mix to prevent rusting.

Fill a bucket or other container with sand in one cup of vegetable oil, then mix well.

Next, insert the metal ends into the sand mix.

Larger tools should be hung on hooks or a pegboard to prevent the handles from warping, and to keep the metal parts dry.

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