How To Clean Rusty Garden Tools? Would you like to add some beautiful plants to your garden, but you need your favorite shovel, and what are you doing now?
Or maybe your lovely indoor plant needs a pruning here and there, or you want to give your bushy companion a fresh overall impression.
Gardening tools that have been relied on so far have rusted and nothing seems to be going as planned. This not only helps you get rid of the rust on your tools, but also teaches you how to prevent them from corroding again in the future.
Finding your garden tools rusty and unaesthetic can be quite frustrating at times, so throwing them away is not the best option. When you are pruning, we all know how to solve this annoying problem, but did you know that it is up to you, the dedicated gardener, to keep your tools in shape?
Read on to learn how to clean your garden tools and prevent them from getting damaged. With proper care, your tools can become a valuable gardening asset and a source of income for you and your family.
How Did Tools Get Rusty?
Every plant needs routine care to stay clean and grow healthy and happy, so why should your garden tools be any different? No matter how experienced or attentive you are with your tools, you don’t need to take the time to clean them properly. Your tools should be in good condition and stored properly, and anyone who happens to be around them should know this.
They are best stored in a dry air area, and a garage or other interior that meets these requirements is highly recommended.
If your garden tools are stored outdoors, hang them on hooks so they don’t sit in the water for long. The accumulation of rust and the many other residues left on the tools is usually the most common factor that leads to rust.
If you hang up your garden tools and do not want to replace them every year, you need to clean them regularly. Knives and other metal parts should be cleaned after each use, but not all parts of the tool, such as the handle or the blade itself.
Sterilizing your garden tools with a grater or alcohol before use can reduce the risk of rusting. Be careful with the type of oil you use when cleaning your tools: motor oil is pretty good, but there are alternative versions of vegetable oil.
Rusty Tools
The best solution against rusty garden tools is prevention, so don’t forget to clean your tools thoroughly after each use.
Many gardeners clean their garden tools with coarse metal brushes and dry rags, as this material is known to remove residues well. It is strongly recommended that you thoroughly clean your tools with a clean, dry cloth, such as a cloth or paper towel, before each application.
Prepare your own cleansing mixture by combining a small amount of water with soap and pine soles. After cleaning, rub mineral oil on your garden tools and dry them thoroughly before rubbing them with mineral or oil.
In general, your tools can also benefit from a popular substance that protects metals from rust and corrosion, known as WD-40. Many experienced growers have come up with a life-saving solution: if you leave your garden tools in a container of sand or mineral water, you can avoid unpleasant surprises such as rust. As mentioned earlier, another relevant factor to prevent garden tools from rusting is creating a suitable storage space for them. The ideal location for these tools should be very low in moisture and not too close to the ground.
What to Do
In the garden world things rarely go according to plan, but if you follow preventive methods and steps accordingly, you can control things that you can control. When garden tools are kept outdoors, they can experience environmental conditions that lead to rust, such as heat, humidity and humidity.
We have discovered several effective ways to keep your favorite tools from rusting, and we have some useful tips and tricks to make cleaning rusty garden tools as easy as possible. Every problem has a solution, but don’t worry too much – it’s your duty to be active to make your gardening more enjoyable.
Use Apple Cider Vinegar Bath
This method is probably the most popular for removing rust as it is very effective, but it is not the only method available.
If your garden tools are just a bit rusty but completely covered, vinegar is your best friend. The concentration of this mixture varies depending on how rusty your garden tools are, but if your tool is rusty, it is recommended to increase the amount of vinegar used in the fabric softener. You can also clean your rusty tools by soaking them in a mixture of water and vinegar for at least 30 minutes before washing.
However, a reduction in concentration is more than welcome for slightly rusted tools, especially those that are severely worn.
If you leave your garden tools in a soaking medium for at least one day, the acidity of the vinegar will act as if by magic. After about 24 hours you can simply say goodbye to the rust on your tools and move on with the rest. Put the iron components of your tool into the prepared apple cider vinegar mixture and keep your energy high to start the fun soon.
Rust can be removed by rubbing your garden tools with a scrubber drier or by crumpling the parts. Remove the tools from the vinegar mixture and rub the grates with circular movements and rinse with water for a few minutes.
Make sure you get the aisles oblique to the corners to prevent possible rust spreading. Remember that the pruning shear and its sharp edges require special attention during this process.
The next step is to apply rust protection lubricating oil if you want to ensure that the oil is absorbed into the metal. If you are satisfied with your work, dry your tool thoroughly with a piece of cloth or paper towel. As a finishing touch, you can fill the tool with any type of oil you want, such as oil, water or even a mixture of both.
Use Baking Soda
If you want to use your garden tools as quickly as possible, you can use baking soda – a time-saving alternative to removing rust. Before you start work, you need to degrease and clean your tools well and then dry them completely on paper towels.
Once you have done this step, you can pour the baking powder paste into a bowl and add a little baking powder to get a thicker paste. Let your tools dry completely and apply the baking soda paste to the rusty areas until they are completely browned on the inside.
Leave the mixture on the tools for a few hours and then rub the affected parts with a brush. If your tools appear clean enough, dry them on a cloth and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Dissolving the Rust in Cola or Black Tea
Never before has it been so easy to remove rust from a piece of hardware as in recent years, especially with the advent of the Raspberry Pi 2.0.
Phosphoric acid, which is typically found in other components of soda, is known for its ability to dissolve tiny rust spots. This process requires little effort, as you only have to soak the tool in a can of soda or tea for a few hours and then scrub off the rust. The method is really effective and my tool has only a few rust tones. Strong black tea can also work, cries the gardener, who always has a bottle of the famous soft drink in his house.
Clean the tool in two small steps with water and dry it properly and scrub the rusty parts of your tool with crumpled parts to achieve optimal results.
Use Lemon Juice and Salt
This home-made alternative is perfect for traditional gardeners and can in most cases deliver good results. One of the easiest ways to clean rusty garden tools is to use a mixture of lemon juice, salt and water.
Once you are satisfied with the overall picture, rinse the tools in water and dry them thoroughly. Then rub them with steel wool or a scrubbing machine until you notice any changes.
Removing rust can be a tedious and time-consuming task, but I hope these tips and tricks will help you get back to gardening in no time. Let me know in the comments below if any of the above rust removal strategies worked for you. Please share your tool – cleaning secrets and other rust removal tricks – in a comment below.
