What if there were a way to keep all of your gardening hand tools together that also improved their lifespan? Did you know that making your garden tools last longer could be as simple as storing them in a bucket of coarse sand mixed with vegetable oil?

It’s true.

The best part is this technique also keeps all of your garden tools in one spot. There’ll be no more searching for stray shovels or hand trowels.

In a 5 gallon bucket, mix 3 quarts of vegetable oil and 5 gallons of sand. Here’s a hint, don’t put all of it together at once. Put some sand in the bucket, add some oil, stir and repeat until the container is nearly full. Store this bucket of sand wherever you are most likely to ditch your tools, as long as that area is sheltered from the elements.

You aren’t limited to only a 5 gallon bucket. If you’d like use a plastic tote for your larger tools or something as small as a coffee can.

The coarse sand cleans your tools and the oil helps protect the metal from rust.

If your tools have wooden handles and you would like them not to look like the one in the picture, grab some sandpaper and linseed oil.  Use the sandpaper on the handle to smooth out any rough spots. Apply the linseed oil to the entire handle in light coats, if the wood is very dry, it will absorb quickly. Keep applying until the handle no longer absorbs oil, then wipe off the excess. If you do this once a year, your garden tools should last a lifetime.

Photo Credit: Keith Williams