How to Properly Winterize Your Lawn Equipment for Efficient Lawn Maintenance

With old man winter right around the corner, now is the perfect time to winterize your lawn maintenance equipment. This includes your lawnmower, leaf blowers, edgers, shears, and any other tools used over the spring and summer for yard maintenance. At Barefoot Lawns, we know that end of season maintenance helps to extend the life of your equipment and tools. Here are a few rules that will make your life easier and your tools last longer.

Winterizing Your Lawnmower

For lawn maintenance, there is probably no other equipment used as much as the lawnmower. A properly maintained lawn mower will last anywhere between eight and ten years. The perfect time to inspect, clean, maintain, and winterize your lawnmower is after the first frost or during late fall.

First, Inspect the Blades

First, be sure to disconnect your spark plug wire, then carefully remove the blade. Second, check the blade for any cracks. Any damaged blades should always be replaced. Lastly, sharpen the blade removing equal amounts of metal from each side.

Clean the Deck

Keeping the deck clean helps to ensure maximum performance throughout the season. Before winter, it’s even more important because it helps to prevent trapped moisture from causing rust or erosion. To clean, scrape with a brush and putty knife, ensuring all grass clippings are removed and then rinse with water.

Drain and Replace Oil

The oil that sits over the winter will contain moisture and acids that will harm engine parts, therefore it’s essential that the oil is drained and replaced prior to using the lawnmower in the spring.

To drain and replace the oil:

• Run the engine to warm the oil first, which will help expel more of the dirty oil and contaminants
• Replace with new oil
• Follow your owner’s manual when selecting oil

Clean or Replace Air Filter

Inspect and clean the air filter. If your engine uses a paper filter, replace it with a new one. Foam filters can be cleaned with soap and water. Damaged and extremely dirty filters should be replaced.

Inspect all Internal Parts

This includes checking to ensure your spark plugs and belts are working properly. Tighten any belts that need tightened and replace any that look worn or cracked.

Drain or Stabilize the Fuel

You do not want to leave fuel in the tank over the winter as doing so can cause damage to the engine. Water from condensation can combine with ethanol in the gas, causing clogs, corrosion, and other problems throughout the fuel system. You can either drain the fuel system or use a fuel stabilizer. Fuel stabilizers will keep the gas fresh until spring. They can be found at most hardware and home stores. After adding the stabilizer, run the engine for at least five minutes to be sure the stabilizer gets into the carburetor. If you have a lot of gas left and don’t want to waste it, you can use a turkey baster or siphon to remove it. When completed, store your lawnmower in a cool, dry place, away from gas cans, heaters, or furnaces.

Winterize Your Garden Equipment

Clean and Disinfect

Because lawn and tree diseases are also easily spread through contaminated equipment, it’s important to clean and disinfect all tools on a regular basis. A good habit to get into is to clean them prior to storing them for winter. First, use a scrubbing brush and a mixture of 1bsp dish detergent in a gallon bucket of warm water to clean all blades. When sufficiently cleaned, rinse them off. Next, you will need to disinfect to ensure all remnants of insects and diseases are thoroughly eliminated. For this, household disinfectants such as isopropyl alcohol and chlorine bleach can be used.

Dry and Store Them

Once your tools are clean, help prevent them from rusting by drying them thoroughly. Use steel wool or emery cloth to rub off any newly formed rust spots.

Need Help Maintaining Your Lawn? Call the Experts.

Whether your lawn equipment and tools are brand new, expensive, or were passed down from generation to generation, maintaining them properly will ensure their longevity. If you need lawn or yard maintenance, Barefoot Lawns can help. We offer a customized year-long lawn care program, core aeration services, weed, and pest control and much more. Give us a call now at 508-281-1441 or contact us here to learn more.