Cleaning my garden tools
| Member | Message |
|---|---|
 |
Posted: Feb/21/2008 8:02 AM PST
Hello....My soil is very clay-rich. Is there an easier way to get the clay off my tools than scraping it off? Is there any solution that I can soak them in that will ease the clean up? |
 |
Posted: Feb/21/2008 10:17 AM PST
Do you clean them after each use? Hose off after use with garden hose nozzle adjusted for maximum pressure. Wipe down with a rag coated with 30W motor oil, it's cheap and an effective rust preventer. If you want to use an old spray bottle cut the oil with kerosene (2:1, motor oil to kerosene) so it will not clog. You can also pick up a small steel brush with a handle for really tough grime. Usually found in Tool Dept. in big box stores. |
 |
Posted: Feb/21/2008 11:40 AM PST
I keep a 5 gallon bucket full of sand with 10W30 motor oil in it and an old towel hanging on the handle. I rinse off any large amounts of soil then let it dry in the sun for a few minutes. Then when it is dry I just push the tool in and out of the sand a couple of times and wipe with towel. The sand acts like sand paper to clean off any dirt and dust and the oil protects the metal from rust. |
|
|
Posted: Feb/21/2008 12:10 PM PST
I should have been more specific. I know how to "season" my tools, but I don't know how to get the clay off the tools without good, old-fashioned scrubbing. Is there an easier way? |
 |
Posted: Feb/21/2008 2:34 PM PST
Hosing them off as soon as you finish doesn't do it?  So glad I don't have clay soil. Lived in Georgia for a bit, but even then the housing development we lived in didn't have that much clay. Linda B |
|
|
Posted: Feb/21/2008 2:46 PM PST
Nope, the clay just seems to stay clumped on the tools. |
|
|
Posted: Feb/21/2008 6:59 PM PST
For that, I just use the hose and if necessary a putty knife and a little elbow grease. Sorry. I just don't know an easy way to get around that. 
|
 |
Posted: Feb/21/2008 9:05 PM PST
I use the garden hose too, lots of clay soil here in the midwest.. I use an old trowel to scrape the worst off and a putty knife if I need to..or one shovel to clean another.. whatever will get it off.. it sticks like glue sometimes! LOL the sand works too.. I think if you have oil on your shovel the clay doenst stick so bad.. or even cooking spray will help it slide off |
 |
Posted: Feb/21/2008 9:21 PM PST
I am rather fond of WD-40...it even works with playa mud.... |
 |
Posted: Jun/26/2008 4:17 PM PST
before using the shovel, try spraying some Pam (or like product) on it first. Where I live in Alabama is nothing but that beautiful red clay that seems to just get hard as a rock when you wet it. |
