How To Clean And Maintain PRUNING SHEARS | Easy DIY Guide, by 2 Minute Garden Tips on YouTube. 3 min 22 s.
- Video length
- 3 min 22 s
- Time to do it
- 15 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Check what your blades are made of. High carbon steel takes a sharp edge but rusts easily, while stainless steel resists rust but dulls a little faster.
Open the pruners and brush dried soil, sap and grit off both blades, the pivot screw and the spring. A stiff nylon brush gets into the gap.
Wipe the blades with rubbing alcohol or a disinfectant spray. This lifts sticky sap and kills fungus and bacteria that could spread between plants.
Scrub any rust spots with steel wool or fine sandpaper, rubbing along the cutting bevel rather than across it.
Dry every part with a clean cloth, including the pivot and spring. Water left in the joint starts rust overnight.
Put one or two drops of clipper oil on the pivot screw and spring, then open and close the handles a few times to work it in.
Wipe a thin film of oil along both blades with a cloth. A light coat protects the steel without collecting dirt.
If the blades still tear instead of slice, run a diamond file along the angled bevel at the original angle, three or four strokes per side.
Close the pruners, store them dry and hang them rather than tossing them in a bucket of soil.
Tips and common mistakes
Skip cooking oil or olive oil, as it turns gummy and attracts grit into the pivot.
Wipe the blades with alcohol between plants if you are pruning anything diseased.
Oil little and often, since too much oil traps soil in the joint.
Never leave pruners outside or sitting in damp grass, which is the fastest route to rust.
Questions
How often should I clean my pruning shears?
Clean and oil them after every few uses, and always before storing them for the season. Sharpen once or twice a year, or whenever cuts start looking ragged.
Can I use WD-40 on pruning shears?
It works for loosening a stiff pivot, but it is not a lubricant. Wipe it off and finish with a proper clipper or machine oil.
What is the best way to remove sticky sap?
Soak a cloth in rubbing alcohol and hold it on the blade for a minute, then wipe. The sap softens and comes away without scraping.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
