Many of us do not realize that proper care and maintenance of your tools is necessary. The same goes for the care and maintenance of shovels. Buying a shovel is just one part of the deal, if you want your shovel to provide best results and be more long lasting then you should do proper care and maintenance of your shovel.
It may seem that shovel care would be a tedious task and would require a lot of your effort. However, this is not the case. It is the little things that if you do on a regular basis will increase the life of your shovel and will make it more efficient to use for a longer period of time.
It is important that you make a proper place where you keep all your garden tools. And this is where your shovels should also be. You cannot leave them outside after doing the job, the best storage area for them is inside a shed where you can hang them.
Moreover, before you hang your shovel you should make sure that it is clean and dry. As your shovels come in contact with the soil and dirt, it is important that you wash and clean them before you hang the shovel. For stubborn, caked on mud, you can use a wire brush or coarse steel wood to clean it, you have to make sure that no traces of debris remain on the blade of the shovel. After cleaning it, you should dry it completely. If you leave it wet then there are chances that it will start to rust.
Wooden handle shovel
Moreover, if you have a wooden handle shovel then you should check it regularly, like every six months, that the wood of the handle is free from nicks and is smooth. If it is damaged then the handle can break easily.
If your blade catches rust for some reason then you can use a wire brush or fine steel wool to scrape the rust from the blade. In order to make it more clean, you can use penetrating or lubricating oil and then scrub it with the brush.
If you see that the blade of your shovel is a bit bent or deformed then you can easily hammer it gently by keeping it on a flat surface with a soft, rubber mallet. It will allow you get the blade back in its shape.
If you know that you will not be using your shovel for an extended period of time then it is better to do some precautionary measures before storing it. In order to keep the blade from rusting you can apply a coating of lubrication oil with a soft cloth or use penetrating oil or spray with a soft cloth and let it dry before hanging it for an extended time. Make sure that the handle is also smooth and there are no splinters or rough areas. You can use sandpaper to smooth out the handle if your shovel has a wooden handle.
These are just some of the guidelines that if you follow will keep your shovel in a proper shape and keep it in a working
