DIY Network

Gardening Q&A; Maintaining Garden Tools Gardening Q&A; Maintaining Garden Tools From "Talking Dirty With the Queen of Clean" episode DQOC-103

Figure A

If you've ever planted a garden, you know how therapeutic and rewarding the process can be. You can't expect your yard to be green if your gardening tools are dirty, however. From the tiny trowel to the mighty mower, it's time to learn how to clean and maintain your garden gadgets. First, let's find out what our audience members want to know about keeping clean while gardening (figure A).

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Q: How do you get grass and dirt stains out of the knees of jeans?

A: To remove mud and dirt from jeans, lay them flat and put salt or baking soda on the stains. Leave it in place to absorb the stains, then brush off with a good brush. Pretreat with alcohol and launder as usual.

Q: What's the best way to clean gardening gloves?

A: Put the gloves on, take a bar of soap outside and wet the gloves under a faucet or hose. Soap up the gloves and scrub them, then rinse, remove and let dry.

Q: How do you remove stubborn dirt from under fingernails?

A: The best way to keep dirt from getting under fingernails is to prevent it in the first place. Before beginning gardening activities, run your fingernails over a bar of soap. The soap prevents dirt from caking under the nail bed and will dissolve when you wash your hands.

Q: Is there a way to keep from being pricked by rose thorns while pruning rosebushes?

A: Use tongs to hold the stems while cutting or pruning the bush.

Maintaining Gardening Tools

• Trowels and hand tools: Brush off dirt with a metal brush (figure B). To remove rust, sand the tools lightly with fine sandpaper. After cleaning the tools, it's important to have a good place to store them. To keep dirt and rust off tools, stir either cooking oil or motor oil into a bucket of sand (figure C) sized to fit the tools you use on a regular basis. When they're not in use, plunge the tools into the oily sand.

  Figure B

  Figure C

  
  
• Tool handles: Protect wooden handles of garden tools from cracking with a coat of linseed oil (figure D). Dip a cloth into the oil and wipe over the handle. Repeat the process as needed anytime the wood looks dry.

• Terra-cotta pots and saucers: Clean dirt and salt stains by soaking in a solution of nine parts warm water to one part chlorine bleach (figure E). Immerse the pots in the solution for a few minutes, then scrub lightly with a metal brush. Rinse the pots and allow them to dry before using for plants. Remember to wear old clothes or protect clothes in case the solution splashes outside the container.

• Rusty clippers: Make a paste mixture of lemon juice and cream of tartar. Dip a cloth in the mixture (figure F) and lightly rub over the clippers. The citric acid will remove the rust.

Figure D

Figure E

Figure F