Cleaning Garden Tools: A Greener Thumb For Spring

May 7, 2025

Every season in the garden involves planning and purpose. Caring for and cleaning garden tools is one of the most important gardening tasks outside of tending the garden. 

With proper care, garden tools can last for years or even a lifetime. Well-maintained garden tools are not only a money saver; they can also save your garden. Observe how much more effective these hedge shears (by One Good Thing by Jillee) look after cleaning.

Times of transition, like early spring or late fall, are good seasonal opportunities to clean garden tools. A biannual maintenance and cleaning schedule will keep your garden tools in tip-top shape. It will also help you determine what tools are working well, which need to be replaced, and what tools are missing from your garden toolbox.

Lay Out What You Want to Clean 

Cleaning and disinfecting your garden equipment is a multi-step process. Make sure to set aside dedicated time for the task. 

Spreading everything out will allow you to see all of your tools in one place and help you quickly identify which need special attention.

Here is what you will need for cleaning your garden tools:

• A hose or sink for water access
• A bucket that is big enough to fit your larger tools (rakes, shovels, etc.) filled with hot, soapy water
• A stiff bristle brush
• Bar Keepers Friend Powdered Cleanser 
• A sponge
• Steel wool
• 80 and 120-grit sandpaper
• Boiled Linseed oil
• Cotton towels or rags

Cleaning Garden Tools

The next thing you’ll want to do is remove all dirt from your tools. Any debris that remains on your tools can spread bacteria to other parts of your garden and can cause the metal to corrode. 

Ideally, you should use a garden hose with a pressurized nozzle to wash away any hardened clay soil from your garden equipment. If the dirt is particularly hard, or you are working inside without a hose, use a hard bristle brush to remove stubborn debris.

Tree sap, which can be left behind on garden shears and trimmers, can be removed by wetting a rag with paint thinner and rubbing it off.

Set the metal parts of your garden tools in a bucket of hot, soapy water for five to 10 minutes. Then, rinse with water. 

Finally, dry each garden tool with a soft cotton cloth and lay them on the tarp to dry thoroughly. Ensuring your tools are completely dry will help keep rust from forming on the metal.

How to Remove Rust from Garden Tools

Most garden tools are steel and prone to rust when exposed to oxygen. The better the grade of steel, the more susceptible it is to rust. This is why it is important not to leave your tools out in the rain and to dry them thoroughly before storing them. 

Yes! You can use Bar Keepers Friend to remove surface rust from garden tools. The Powdered Cleanser is effective for large tools such as shovels, rakes, and hoes. The Soft Cleanser or MORE Spray + Foam would be better options for small, handheld garden tools such as clippers and trowels.

Pro Tip:

If you have expensive stainless steel garden tool sets, we recommend using our Stainless Steel Cleaner & Polish. It comes in a convenient trigger-spray bottle and cleans and polishes in one easy step! Did you know you can shop at Walmart for this product and more?

We normally recommend that you avoid using abrasive materials, such as steel wool, with Bar Keepers Friend. However, if you have very rusty tools, this is one of those times when it would be OK to use a tougher scrubber, such as steel wool, a wire brush, or an abrasive sponge.

To remove rust from garden tools, apply Bar Keepers Friend to your sponge (you’ll need to wet the sponge to create a paste if you are using the powdered Cleanser) and scrub the tool in circular motions to remove the rust. 

If the tool is badly pitted, you may need to use steel wool or a wire brush. Rinse and repeat the BKF application and scrubbing until you have removed the rust stains. 

Important Note: Do NOT soak your tools in Bar Keepers Friend as the oxalic acid can harm the finish if left on for too long.

Once you have removed the rust, dry the tool with a cotton cloth or towel and set it on the tarp to fully dry.

Fun Fact: You can use Bar Keepers Friend Cookware Cleanser & Polish on more than just cookware. YouTuber, Eddie Got Funny Jokes, used BKF Cookware Cleanser & Polish to clean an incredibly rusty wrench. You can use the cookware cleanser to clean your own gardening tools. See BKF in action here:

Disinfecting Garden Tools

Ideally, garden tools should be cleaned after each use. However, most people are more focused on getting in the shower than on cleaning their garden equipment.

Unfortunately, not regularly disinfecting horticulture tools leaves them susceptible to spreading disease, weed seeds, and insect eggs throughout the garden. While working in the garden, consider keeping an isopropyl alcohol spray bottle or bleach wipes close at hand in order to disinfect your tools in between working on plants. Alcohol is immediately effective and dries quickly, which helps to avoid injuring plants.

During this seasonal disinfecting, spray or dip tools with isopropyl alcohol and then wipe dry with a clean, soft cloth. Lay the tools on a flat surface to fully dry.

Protecting Garden Tools

Once your garden tools are cleaned, disinfected, and dried, you should protect them by applying a coat of oil. 

Do not use petroleum-based oil on your garden tools, as it can harm your plants and soil. Boiled linseed oil, made from flaxseed, is a natural alternative that will keep your tools in good shape and your plants healthy.

If your tools have wooden handles, sand them with a medium-grit sandpaper. Then, rub a few drops of linseed oil into the wood with a cloth or paper towel. This should prevent the handles from drying out and cracking.

Also treat the steel portion of your tools with linseed oil by applying the oil, letting it sit for about 15 minutes, and then wiping off the excess. This treatment should keep the metal from oxidizing.

Storing Garden Tools

It is important to store your tools properly to keep them working effectively. Before storing, make sure that your equipment is stored indoors and is completely dry. Do not rest large tools, such as shovels, rakes, and hoes, on the ground. Doing so dulls the edges and leaves them at risk for corrosion. Instead, hang your garden tools up off of the floor.

Seasonal cleaning of your tools will keep your garden equipment in great shape for years to come. Your time investment will really pay off during the next garden season.

About the Author

Felicia Savage is a content strategist, agile marketing enthusiast, and Digital Marketing Manager at Bar Keepers Friend. When she isn’t writing about her love for Bar Keepers Friend (or wiping down her stainless steel sinks), you can find Felicia sparring at her muay thai gym, doodling in her sketchbook, or watching silly cat videos on TikTok.