After a long year in the garden, most of my tools are looking worse for wear. That doesn’t mean they need to be thrown away, though – in fact, with the right garden tool care products, they’ll scrub up like new.
If you have a good pair of secateurs, for example, they’ll last years with some regular TLC. I’ve got my eye on a few products that I might just be treating myself to in the New Year – and they’ll save me a fortune instead of restocking my tool shed.
From sharpening stones to protective oils, these are the garden tool care products on my list right now.
1. Agralan Citrox Disinfectant Spray
Before you start weatherproofing them for the year ahead, you’ll need to thoroughly clean your garden tools. All that dirt and bacteria from this year’s pruning sessions have to go, and to get rid of it, you’ll need a tool cleaner.
I’m all for a natural disinfectant (no nasty chemicals in my garden, thank you!), and Agralan’s Citrox Disinfectant Spray from Amazon is my go-to choice. It’s effective against a range of bacterial and fungal plant diseases, and it can be used in the greenhouse, too. You can even disinfect pots and clean bird tables with it.
2. Niwaki Sharpening Stone
It’s Amazon’s Choice for a reason – Niwaki’s Sharpening Stone has stellar reviews, and it’s perfect for sharpening your secateurs and other bladed garden tools.
Japanese gardening tools are taking the gardening world by storm right now – I recently tried the Niwaki Sentei Secateurs, and absolutely fell in love with them – and the brand's tool care products are just as brilliant.
Niwaki’s sharpening stone has a concave shape, so it follows the curvature of the blades you’re sharpening, and reviewers agree that it’s a premium tool, and really satisfying to use (much like the Sentei secateurs). Niwaki says you’ll just need to soak the stone in clear water before every use.
If you find any stubborn sap or resin on the blades, it’s worth buying the Niwaki Clean mate for £9, which works (and looks) a bit like an eraser.
I think the sharpening stone is a staple in any gardener’s tool shed, and I can’t wait to get my hands on one in the New Year.
3. Niwaki Camellia Oil
Once you’ve cleaned and sharpened your tools, it’s wise to coat the blades in a protective oil to keep them in tip-top condition.
Niwaki’s Camellia Oil, £7.50 at Amazon, is at the top of my list, and it doubles up as a wooden handle conditioner, too. The ingredients are simple: cold-pressed camellia seeds blended with white mineral oil.
Niwaki recommends using it as a regular protective coating after cleaning your tools, and says it’s ‘the preferred choice for cleaning Japanese carbon steel tools and conditioning wooden handles’, leaving a deep but non-oily finish. It’s also odourless and non-toxic, so it can be used to sharpen kitchen knives, too (although you definitely can’t drink it).
You’ll just need to use a clean cloth to apply it, or buy the Niwaki Camellia Oil Dispenser for £12.
I can't wait to refresh my garden tools ahead of spring, and these products will make the job a lot easier.
