The best time to get rid of rust on your gardening tools is actually before you start using them.
Watch: Charlie’s guide to gardening tools
Rust is a gardening nightmare – you have to spend time cleaning your gardening tools and bringing them back to life.
However, there is a way to prevent rust spreading on your tools entirely, so the cleaning and maintenance process is cut down exponentially. And the added bonus? It’s all natural!
Most gardeners tend to leave their trowels, handheld rakes and spades outside. While it seems like a good idea to leave your tools in the hardening beds and pot plants in for convenience, it can actually damage your tools.
Leaving your tools out, instead of rinsing them in water and putting them inside, means that your tools are more exposed to the elements. This can cause excessive rusting.
Saving time by leaving your tools out may mean in the end that it costs you more, as your tools will need to be replaced more often.
However, there is a great hack for preventing rust, and it means that you can leave your tools outside!
The natural way to prevent rusty garden tools
Coating your tools in natural beeswax and oil will ensure that rust is not able to reach the metal components of your spades and shovels. This trick is very easy to DIY yourself at home, and all you need is a few ingredients.
You will need:
- natural beeswax
- olive oil
- heat protectant gloves
- a pot
- your gardening tools that have metal components prone to rusting.
Before beginning, you must clean off all dirt from your tools. Unfortunately, it also means you must remove any rust that is already there.
The first step is measuring out your beeswax and oil. It should be around 1:1 ratio, and it will depend on how many tools you have as to how much of this mixture you will need. You must be able to fully submerge metal parts of your tools into the mixture.
Over a low heat, melt your beeswax completely. Add in the oil and mix together. Next, heat your metal tools. This can be done on your stove burner (if you have an open flame). Heating your tool before coating it will mean it will last much longer. You can still coat your tools without heating first, but it will not last as long.
Hold the handle of your garden tool and fully submerge the metal in the liquid. Let any excess liquid drip off your tool before setting it aside and repeating all the steps with the other tools.
This coating will prevent rust being able to spread over your tools, and will prevent your tools from being damaged by outdoor conditions. Try it today and see if it pays off!
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