How to Properly Retire and Store Your Summer Tools for Fall
Your yard care schedule is going to wind down as fall continues toward winter. After a while, you won’t have any use for many of your yard maintenance tools until the weather gets warm again. However, you don’t want to just toss these tools in the garage or shed and forget about them; you need to practice proper lawn tool storage to keep them in good shape so they will be ready to serve you well in the spring.
If you don’t know how to store tools properly, some of the parts can suffer and they won’t last as long. Beyond keeping them in good shape, you should also organize tools so they are easy to find when you need them.
In this post, we will provide you with some yard tool storage ideas, along with tips on the best way to organize tools.
How to Store Hand Tools
Start by gathering up all of the hand tools you use in your yard. This includes things like rakes, shovels, trowels, pruning shears and hedge clippers. Before you can start putting tool organization ideas into practice, you need to clean your hand tools and look for any issues that may need to be addressed.
You should be able to clean most of your hand tools with soapy water. If you see any rust, you can remove it using steel wool or a piece of sandpaper.
Once your tools are clean, you should look to see if there is any damage. Are the handles in good shape? If it is a hinged tool, you should make sure the hinge is working and consider oiling the hinge. For tools with wooden handles, you should look for rough spots or cracks that need to be fixed. You’ll also want to sharpen the blades on your hedge clippers before you put them away.
Power Tool Storage Ideas
If you have power tools like a string trimmer or electric hedge trimmer, you are going to need to get them ready with a few key steps before cleaning. Whether you have gas or electric yard tools, you are going to need to clean them before you put them in tool storage.
Before you start, make sure they are unplugged or that the battery is disconnected. Then, use a tool like the Hydroshot to wash away any dirt, grime, and the like to leave your power tools in tip-top shape for next season. With the Hydroshot Deluxe Cleaning Bundle, there’s no limit on what you can clean to get ready for the transition of seasons. Go beyond just cleaning the lawn mower by using the outdoor scrubber attachment on your patio furniture. Or, try the squeegee with sprayer on your garage windows.
For storing gas-powered tools, you’ll need to follow a more extensive maintenance checklist before putting them away. You should either drain the gas or add a fuel stabilizer before putting gas tools away. You may also need to consider changing the oil or replacing the spark plug on your gas-powered yard tools.
Best Way to Organize Large Tools Like Lawn Mowers
Your lawn mower should be stored away with the rest of your yard tools. Just like your power tools, you are going to want to clean and perform a little maintenance on your lawn mower. For example, consider sharpening your lawn mower blades before putting it away.
As is true with how to store other tools, a gas-powered lawn mower is going to require a little more maintenance before being put away for the year. If you want to reduce the amount of work that goes into getting your lawn mower ready for storage, you could get something like the 56V Cordless 20” Lawn Mower with Mulching Capabilities and Intellicut. As an electric lawn mower, it is easier to maintain, and with the cordless design, you have the same freedom you would get with a gas-powered mower.
Tool Organization Ideas
With everything clean and maintained, it is time to think about lawn tool storage. Keeping your tools in a shed or garage is a good start, but you do not want to leave them on the floor or just toss them in a corner. Instead, you should get some racks and use these tool box organization tips to keep everything safe and in order.
For smaller hand tools, you can keep them in a tool box so they will be easy to store and carry around when needed. You could also consider a tool organization idea like hanging a pegboard on one of the walls so you can hang your smaller yard tools.
For things like rakes and shovels, using some of the wall space is one of the best yard tool storage ideas. If you could build a storage rack, that would be a good way to keep them safe and out of the way.
Your outdoor power tools will also need to be kept off the floor. Just like with your rakes and shovels, you could build racks that will hold them on the wall. If you are working with products from the WORX Power Share line, you could install the wall mount tool holder that is designed to work with many of these tools.
You spent good money buying all your yard tools, so it only makes sense to protect that investment. By following these tool storage ideas, you can make sure they will be ready for next year and extend their life to ensure you are getting the most from the money you invested.
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