Now would be a great time to collect all those neglected garden tools and give them a good cleaning and sharpening so they will be ready to go when the growing season rolls around again.

            Your bypass pruners are a great place to start.  Most quality hand pruners can be disassembled, so remove the lock nut and pull all the pieces apart. If there is a light build-up of dirt or other residue you should be able to get by with just washing each piece with an old toothbrush in warm, soapy water. 

For heavy sap or rust deposits, spray the pruner blades and other soiled parts liberally with a silicone-based spray such as WD-40 and then let them soak for a few minutes. Next wash all the parts in soapy water using a small wire brush or 00 steel wool to scrub off any remaining dirt, sap or rust. If that doesn't work, you might also try using a little turpentine or naval jelly to eliminate the really stubborn residues.

            When all debris has been removed rinse everything thoroughly, dry each piece and then reassemble the pruner.  Add a few drops of household oil (3-IN-ONE) when you are finished to lubricate the blades and other moving parts.

            Now that your hand pruners are clean and oiled, move on to the rest of your tools.  Use an old putty knife to dig the dirt out of the hollow back of your spades and shovels and then give them a good washing in a tub of soapy water.  If your hoe is rusty give it a little elbow grease with some WD-40 and a wire brush.  Inspect your hedge shears and loppers for sap deposits and if any are found--banish them with a little turpentine and steel wool.

            And don't neglect the wooden handles.  Remove splinters or rough spots with medium coarse sandpaper and then rub the handles with a rag soaked in boiled linseed oil.  If you want to get a little fancy, paint the handles a bright color so they will be easy to locate when they get misplaced in the garden.

            Once your tools are sparkling clean it is time to get out the mill file and give them a nice sharp edge.  Pruning saws are best sharpened by a professional, but shovels, spades, hoes, hori-hori knives and many other digging and weeding tools perform better when they are regularly sharpened.

Protect your tools with a thin coating of household oil.

Place your garden tool in a vise and then grasp the mill (bastard) file by both ends at a slight angle to the edge of the blade. Follow the original angle of the bevel, applying pressure only as you make a forward stroke.  When you've sharpened the entire length of the blade, turn the tool over and lightly rub off any jagged burrs that have been produced by sharpening the other side. 

Hand pruners are a little trickier to sharpen, but there are several sharpeners like the 4-in-1 Tool Sharpener that are made especially for the job.  If you find yourself sharpening your hand pruners more than once a month because of pitted blades the cause may be using a bleach/water mixture to sterilize.  Try switching to full-strength Listerine mouthwash which does as good a job as bleach and is less corrosive.

Shovels, spades and hoes can also be sharpened using a power drill with a coarse grinding disk or wheel.  Always wear goggles and be careful not to grind too hard or the edge may be compromised.  After using the grinder remove any rough burrs left behind with a mill file.

When all your tools are in good working order they should be coated with a fine layer of household oil (3-IN-ONE) or silicone spray (WD-40) before you put them back into storage.

An easy way to keep your hand tools in good shape during the growing season is to fill a five gallon bucket with a mixture of clean sand and a new quart of vegetable oil.  Cover the bucket and place it near your tool storage area.  When you are done working outside, repeatedly dunk your tools into the oily sand and it will rub off dirt and other debris and coat the tool with a protective oil coating.  If the bucket develops an unpleasant odor, just change the sand and vegetable oil.

Using vegetable oil mixed with the sand works just as well as used motor oil to protect your tools from rust, and you won't be contaminating your outdoor space with a harmful petroleum-based product.

Check out the garden tools that I use everyday at "Essential Garden Tools."

This article first appeared in Northern Gardener magazine.

Cleaning and Sharpening Tools Video
Trisha Shirey demonstrates how to clean and sharpen your garden tools.