Cleaning a lawn edger
It is important to clean a lawn edger after use to prevent rust, decay and the spread of diseases from contaminated soils and plants, you will also be keeping your storage area cleaner as a result.
Wear gloves
Before cleaning we recommend wearing gloves, it not only helps keep your skin clean preventing irritation from disinfectant and oil but also helps prevent accidents involving sharp edges of the blade on the lawn edger.
Brush off soil
Use a stiff scrubbing brush or wire wool to remove soil from the shaft and blade, wearing gloves will protect your hands from abrasive wire wool.
Wash
Use a hose or power wash for tools which are caked with thick mud then dry immediately afterwards to prevent rusting. Avoid water from coming into contact with any wooden components, the moisture will be absorbed causing them to swell.
If you have lots of digging hand tools which need to be cleaned then try dipping them into a bucket of sharp sand a few times to loosen and remove the soil.
Disinfect
For gardens with soil or plant diseases apply a garden disinfectant such as Jeyes fluid, Zoflora, Propellar or Citrox for 20 minutes before wiping off to sterilise the blade. Remember to clean the brushes and towels that you use afterwards to further prevent the spread of disease.
Oil
If the blade is made of stainless steel, coated in resin or paint then it will not be us susceptible to rust. However, any scratches or dents which have chipped the protective layer will be more prone to rusting.
To protect your lawn edger from rust simply apply a thin layer of general-purpose oil such as WD40 then wipe with a clean cloth.
How to care for a lawn edger
How to sharpen a lawn edger blade
You can sharpen a lawn edging blade using tools such as a sharpening stone, knife or axe sharpener, bench grinder or a blade sharpener attachment for a drill or angle grinder.
These types of solutions can be used to bring older blunt garden instruments back to life by sharpening the edges, making them feel brand new and reducing the effort required to use them. They not only work on lawn edgers but also spades, knives, lawn mower blades, axes, sheers, and other cutting implements.
If you are struggling to use multiple garden tools because they are blunt, then investing in a single sharpening tool will be cheaper than having to repeatedly buy new garden tools every time they become lose their sharpness.
Refer to the instructions which are supplied with whichever sharpening tool you choose prior to attempting to sharpen your lawn edger blade. Remember to always wear protective eyewear and gloves.
Can you replace a lawn edger head?
Lawn edgers are not indestructible, the shaft might snap, the blade become blunt, it might hit a rock and bend or rust over time; however all parts on a lawn edger are replaceable.
How to replace a lawn edger head
You did remember to buy a lawn edger with a replaceable head? Although changing the head on a lawn edger will differ from model to model the principles should remain very much the same across all designs.
The head should typically be attached to the wood or steel shaft using screws or nuts so it’s simply a case of removing these, switching the head over then replacing and tightening the screws.
Check the instructions that came with your model to ensure you are performing the swap over correctly as some designs might differ.
