Daily gardening tip · Northern hemisphere · Sunday 27 September 2026 · early autumn
Clean Lawnmower Blades Before Autumn Storage
As grass growth slows down in early autumn, storing your lawnmower with wet clippings caked on the blades will ruin the metal before spring.
15 minuteseasytools
Disconnect the spark plug or remove the battery to make sure the mower cannot start.
Tilt the mower safely according to your manufacturer manual, keeping the air filter pointing upward.
Use a stiff plastic scraper or a wire brush to scrape off all the dried, caked-on grass from the blade and the underside of the deck.
Wipe the metal clean with a dry rag.
Spray or wipe a thin coat of general-purpose maintenance oil onto the blades to block out moisture.
Why it works
Wet grass clippings trap moisture and contain natural acids that actively corrode steel. Scraping away this debris and coating the metal with oil prevents rust from forming during damp autumn and winter storage, keeping your blades sharp and your mower deck intact.
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