Oliver Bexley
Why damp months are hard on tools
From October through to March, most UK gardens spend far more time wet than dry. Rain, dripping foliage, heavy clay soil and cold sheds all conspire against the metal and wood in your tool collection. A spade left uncleaned in a damp corner can develop a bloom of orange rust within a fortnight, and once rust pits the surface it eats into the sharp edge you rely on.
Wooden handles suffer too. Ash and hickory take on moisture in a humid shed, then shrink and split when the weather warms. The good news is that rust and rot are almost entirely preventable. Fifteen minutes of care after each use will save you hours of restoration come spring, and it will keep your tools working properly for decades rather than seasons.
Clean and dry before anything else
Soil holds moisture against metal, so the first job is always the same: get the dirt off, then get the tool genuinely dry. A tool that looks dry on the surface can still be damp in the socket, the hinge or the ferrule, and that hidden moisture is what does the damage.
- Knock clods off with a wooden stick or an old blunt knife. Never bang a blade against concrete or a wall — you will blunt it and loosen the handle.
- Scrub the working surfaces with a wire brush or a coarse cloth, always working away from your hand.
- Rinse off stubborn clay, then wipe the metal completely dry with an old towel or rag. Keep a dedicated drying rag by the door.
- Leave tools in a dry, airy spot for an hour before putting them away. Never shut a damp tool in a cupboard, a sealed bag or a toolbox.
- Open secateurs, loppers and shears fully so air can reach the pivot, and flick out the debris trapped between the blades.
Oil the metal, then leave it be
Once the metal is properly dry, a thin film of oil becomes your barrier against the damp air. A rag with a few drops of general-purpose machine oil is plenty; for blades that will touch living plants, camellia oil is a gentler choice. Wipe it over the whole working surface rather than just the edge, and don't forget the awkward places.
- Blades: wipe both faces, including the bevelled edge, on both sides.
- Springs and pivots: a single drop worked in by opening and closing the tool a few times.
- Spades, forks and hoes: the entire head, plus the socket where the handle meets the metal.
- Tools you won't touch until spring: apply a slightly heavier coat, then wipe off the excess before your first dig.
Keep mineral oil away from wooden shafts — it softens the grain and darkens it. Wood needs its own treatment, which is a job for the next section.
Look after handles and wooden shafts
Wood wants to be dry but not parched. After cleaning, run a gloved hand along the shaft to check for splinters, then smooth any rough patches with fine sandpaper, working along the grain. Once or twice a year, feed bare wood with boiled linseed oil: apply thin coats, let each soak in, then wipe off the excess and allow it to dry fully before use.
Check the join where handle meets head. A loose or wobbly head is a cut waiting to happen, so tighten the rivets or replace the wedge now rather than in the middle of a digging job. Never stand a wooden-handled tool in a bucket of water or leave it sitting in a puddle — that is the fastest route to a split shaft.
Hang everything off the floor
The floor is the dampest part of most sheds, garages and lean-tos, and concrete wicks moisture upwards all winter. Getting tools off the ground is the single most effective storage change you can make.
- Fit a sturdy rail or a length of timber at chest height and space hooks or nails along it.
- Hang long-handled tools head uppermost where possible, so drips run away from the socket and handle.
- Use hooks that hold the shaft rather than the blade, and group tools by type so nothing gets buried at the back.
- Store small hand tools on a pegboard or in open trays, not in sealed boxes.
- Drain and coil hoses, then hang or store them indoors. Tip wheelbarrows, trugs and empty pots upside down so they don't fill with rainwater.
Improve airflow while you're at it. Leave a small gap beneath the shed door or fit a vent, and avoid sealing a damp space tight. A shed that breathes will keep rust at bay far better than one that's airtight and cold.
A ten-minute midwinter check
Some time in January, take a slow walk around your stored tools. Wipe any new rust spots with an oily rag or a little wire wool, sharpen blunt edges, and check nuts, bolts and washers. Anything beyond saving is better dealt with now than discovered on the first warm Saturday of spring.
One old trick is worth reviving: keep a bucket of dry sand mixed with a cup of oil just inside the shed door. Plunge spades, forks and hoes in a few times after use and the sand scours off soil while the oil coats the metal. Between that and a well-ventilated rail on the wall, your tools will come through the wet months ready to work.
