How to Store Gardening Tools and Equipment for Winter

Admit it! This year’s glorious British summer has probably encouraged you to buy more garden tools than you would generally bother to get in past summer seasons. During the colder months of the year, there are fewer and fewer things to do in the garden, and now you wonder where to store all that gardening equipment until you need it again.

Well, you are at the right place! This post will give you tips on how to safely put away all gardening tools and other equipment for the winter so that they remain in their original good condition. Regardless of whether you use your garage, your shed or resort to a commercial storage facility due to a lack of spare space at home, packing and storing your seasonal stuff properly will save you from needing to replace it the following year.

As a diligent green-fingered enthusiast, you’ll promptly clean and prepare your garden tools for winter storage. So, let’s look into the ways to do that!

Garden tools storage tips

Make sure you have enough spare time on your hands, as this may take a while. Let’s begin with…

Inspect all tools

Be sure to inspect your gardening tools at the end of the season to see if they are in good condition. You may discover a loose screw here or there or perhaps find more serious damage to one or more of your gardening tools. It is best to repair everything now, so you don’t have to deal with it when your start working on your garden again.

Give all tools a good clean

You can then scrub the tools down with steel wool or a wire bristle brush to remove any rust. Clean the metal parts thoroughly to eliminate dry mud and dirt. Shining your tools with sandpaper is also very effective.

Additionally, you can remove hard-to-clean rust with things like vinegar and baking soda. Just soak the rusty tools in a vinegar solution, and you can also give them a good scrub with baking soda afterwards.

Arrange the tools in a dry and safe storage space

Once your garden devices have been cleaned, store them neatly in a dry place off the ground or in a waterproof container. All springs and coils on your tools should be off the pressure. Here are a few garden tools’ storage ideas to help you make the most of your storage space.

How to store a garden hose

Before storing the hose for the winter, drain it well. Tape the ends of the hose together after coiling it carefully. You’ll prevent little critters from nesting inside the hose. If you don’t own a hose reel, you can improvise DIY-style to store your garden watering device.

It’s still best not to hang the hose directly on a nail to prevent irreparable twists and kinks that will render it useless the next season. Hang the hose loop on a medium-sized can or tin, place it over a long nail, and securely attach it to a beam or a wall.

Indoor storage protects the hose from freezing weather. As a hose freezes, the water inside expands, causing holes to form and ultimately weakening the hose’s lining. If you still have the frozen garden hose attached to your house, it can lead to issues with the water pressure in the pipes and water lines.

How to store a lawn mower

Make sure your lawn mower’s blades are clean from grass and dirt. After that, remove them, sharpen them, and oil them. The same applies to other garden machinery you might have, such as aerators, scarifiers, hedge and lawn trimmers, etc.

Before storing your garden equipment, make sure the fuel tanks are empty. Long-term storage of petrol may irreversibly damage the tank. Additionally, commercial storage units won’t allow you to store items containing inflammable substances.

Keep your mower in a dry, protected place, such as your garage or garden shed. Avoid storing it near a furnace, water heater, or appliance with a pilot light.

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