“Whenever there is a hard job to be done I assign it to a lazy man; he is sure to find an easy way of doing it.”
Walter Chrysler
This quote has been my mantra ever since I was introduced to it at the start of my working life. And when it comes to cleaning up anything I hate wasting time so I always look for the easiest method possible.
So when I found this great tip for cleaning garden tools at curbly.com I slapped the front of my head and as eloquently as possible remarked how ignorant I have been. The tip-giver, aliased as Badbadivy, shared her cleaning hint after some advice from her father.
The idea is: before using your shovel, rake, hoe, fork or any other garden implement you spray it with a fine coat of olive oil. I’m guessing it must be at least the fifth or sixth press oil if you’re prepared to use it on your gardening tools so I would much rather use a cheap home brand canola or vegetable oil.
The oil coats the tool and when you go to wash it, all the dirt and muck simple slides straight off. No hassle and no scrubbing. Cleaning garden tools has never been easier!
I would even go so far as to suggest that you recoat the tools after you’ve cleaned them and this will stop them from rusting while they’re not in use.
Great tip badbadivy.