Gardening is one of Australia’s favourite hobbies. Spending time outdoors, getting in touch with the earth, maintaining a beautiful landscape outside your front door. But I’m sure everyone has had that moment when they have entered their tool shed, seen their tools looking brown and neglected and wondered how do I clean rust from garden tools? Gardening can become hard work when your tools are not working to the best of their ability and rust contributes massively to the decline of their ability to function. You don’t want to be replacing your tools every spring so you want to know how protecting them from corrosion and prevent them from rusting in the first place. Your tools will last you a lifetime if you put the energy into cleaning and maintaining them now and products like WD-40’s Specialist Garden and Lawn range are there to make it very easy.
How Do I Clean Rust from Garden Tools?
If you are wondering how do I clean rust from garden tools, the answer can be quite simple but it is much easier to focus on preventing rust in the first place. Depending on the extent of the rusting, removing rust can involves lots of scraping and cleaning but having a specialised cleaning product does make the process easier.
You might be thinking, why would I need to bother to renew rusty garden tools? You may think your tools are still working well despite being rusty but the reality is that they are not functioning to the best of their ability. The rust is causing your tools to be stiff, blunt, and harder to use and it can also cause damage to your plants. Rust also weakens your tool which makes them more susceptible to damage. Why wouldn’t you want gardening to be as easy and efficient as possible?
Why Does Rust Occur on Gardening Tools?
By nature, gardening tools are consistently used in the elements which often leads to exposure to moisture. Tools like shovels experiences a lot of wear and tear as they are constantly seeing dirt and moisture, while secateurs and hedge trimmers see plant debris and sap. All of these harsh conditions can cause your tools to corrode and rust and if this is left unchecked, your tools can break or become unusable. Without the proper protection, it is super easy for moisture to penetrate your tools and allow for rust to develop even in the more tucked away mechanisms like hinges and bolts. This can lead to your equipment becoming stiff and, in some cases, unusable. But don’t worry! Rusting tools is not inevitable and with the right maintenance it is completely avoidable.
How To Clean Garden Tools Rust
WD-40 has the best answer to your question how to clean garden tools rust in its Specialist Lawn and Garden range. The Powerful Foaming Cleaner loosens the stubborn build-up of the plant residue, oil and grease and gets your tools back to working order. The spray action of the bottle is designed to cover large areas quickly to make cleaning more efficient and easy. Simply buff the cleaner onto your rusted garden tools with a brush or, for more stubborn rust, with a piece of steel wool until your rusty garden tool is looking and functioning as good as new. The cleaner expands to reach even the most tucked away hinges and joints so no part of your tool will be neglected. Any gardening tool is appropriate for the foaming cleaner from a lawn mower to a hedge trimmer. The answer to the question how do I clean rust from garden tools is simple and easy with the Powerful Foaming Cleaner.
How To Protect Garden Tools from Rust
If you are wondering how to protect garden tools from rust, it is much easier than having to scrub off the rust and only requires some WD-40 Specialist Garden and Lawn Lubricants.
To reduce friction and provide some protection against moisture, use the Lawn and Garden General Use Lubricant. The Water Protective Silicone is also ideal for lubricating your tools as well as protecting them from moisture even in mechanisms like hinges and joints. It is ideal for any tools coming in to contact plant residues or any moisture.
For more heavy-duty protection, you will want the Tool Protectant Grease in your toolbox. It is a white lithium based product designed for your metal tools that are consistently exposed to the elements. It helps displace water which prevents the moisture from leading to corrosion and is ideal for wheelbarrows, trailer tow bars, metal gates and other equipment constantly expose to the weather.
Protecting your tools simply involves spraying one of the above products onto your tools after use to ensure that the protective layer is maintained.
Maintaining Your Garden Equipment
Having rusted tools can make gardening so much more difficult. It can make the mechanisms stiff and make the blades of your tool blunt. If left unchecked for too long, your tools may become unusable and replacing tools regularly can be very expensive.
Not only is it more challenging for you to garden, rusted tools can also damage your plants. If you neglect to clean your equipment, residue from diseased plants can transfer around your garden and can result in all your plants becoming contaminated. Rusted and blunt blades can also damage your plants if your secateurs have rusted up.
It is not worth the time, money and heartache of watching your garden deteriorate just because you left your tools unmaintained for too long especially when the answer to your query how do I clean rust from garden tools is so simple.
Renewing Rusty Garden Tools
If you are looking to renew rusty garden tools, you have a few different options. But first it is important to say that the easiest and most cost-effective way of preventing rust is by preventing your tools from rusting rather than cleaning after rust occurs.
As mentioned above, WD-40’s Powerful Foaming Cleaner is great for deep cleaning your garden tools. For more stubborn rust, you can try to soak your tools in some white vinegar for a couple of days which can help to loosen the rust on your tools.
If all else fails, you might have to replace your rusted tools but make sure you implement prevention methods like using WD-40’s Garden and Lawn lubricants to avoid this costly solution in the future! Don’t let yourself face the question how do I clean rust from garden tools again and, instead, focus on the question how to protect garden tools from rust.
How Do I Clean Rust from Garden Tools?
Don’t let your gardening suffer because of some rusty tools. Take the time now to protect the tools that work so hard for you and rely on WD-40. Not only will WD-40’s Specialist Lawn and Garden Range help to clean rust and corrosion from your gardening equipment but will also protect and prevent future rust from occurring. The entire WD-40 Specialist Lawn and Garden Range is available at your local Bunnings Warehouse. Save yourself the ordeal of replacing all of your equipment and go and grab some WD-40.