Author: Sara May

Garden Tools & Tips, Storage Solutions

4 Quick Tips for Keeping Garden Tools Happy

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Gardening Tools

Whether you’re new to gardening or have been toiling in the soil for years, you rely on garden tools that are in good working condition.  Poorly maintained garden tools don’t last long and most likely make gardening chores more of a chore.

The best way to make sure your tools work well for you over the long haul is to give them a little TLC after each use.  Time consuming?  No way.  In fact, here are four quick and easy ways to keep your tools in top shape during the gardening season:

  • Ditch the Dirt — Remove any dirt from tools after each use.  Fresh dirt will usually come off quickly and easily when tools are rinsed with a hose or dipped in a bucket of water. Tough dirt can be rubbed off with some water and a wet rag.  If left to dry, caked-on dirt is harder to remove and makes digging tasks more challenging the next time the tools are needed.
  • Repel Rust and Rot — Dry off wet tools before putting them away.  Wooden handles can rot and metal parts can rust when water is left sitting on garden tools.  Keep a clean rag or towel handy for this purpose.
  • Ship-Shape Shears — Rub the cutting blades of pruning shears and loppers with a dab of oil on an old rag before hanging them up for the night.  This will clean off any debris and keep them workingGarden Storage Sheds smoothly.
  • Stow Your Stuff — Give your garden tools some shelter to protect them from exposure to weather and to keep them out of reach of children and animals.  A storage shed dedicated to gardening tools and supplies is a handy addition in any yard.  Using storage sheds for gardening gear frees up space in the garage and ensures that your tools and supplies are protected.

A little daily maintenance goes a long way toward keeping garden tools in good working shape throughout the heaviest months of gardening.  Keep the necessary cleaning gear close to where you store your tools.  Doing so will make it that much easier to care for your tools before putting them away.

Environmentally Friendly Ideas, Outdoor Living Spaces

Using Nature to Mask the Noises from Nearby Roads

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Solar Water Fountain

When you live within earshot of a busy road or train tracks, relaxing outside on your porch, patio, or deck may not be all that relaxing.  Train whistles, sirens, honking vehicles, and even the steady drone of cars and trucks passing along the road can interrupt your need for silent reverie.

Music played quietly nearby can effectively draw your attention away from the road noises.  When sitting outside, though, what most of us prefer to hear is nature’s own music.  Birds, gentle breezes, flowing water.  One of the most common ways to bring the soothing sounds of nature into your outdoor living spaces is to introduce a solar water fountain.

Water fountains, in general, provide you with the gentle and relaxing sounds of flowing water.  The constant trickling and gurgling of the water mimics the natural sounds of a mountain brook and quite effectively masks the noises that drift over from nearby roads.  Solar water fountains, in particular, make it easy to place the fountain in any sunny spot where you prefer to sit, even when electrical outlets are nowhere near.  Solar water fountains draw their energy from the sun, so no electrical components or wiring are required to make them work.

Water fountains, solar or otherwise, may not be able to completely mask the noise of train whistles and sirens — no outdoor sound device can do this completely.  But, they do reduce significantly the constant whirring and buzzing of passing traffic that too frequently disturbs quiet moments, and they leave you free to enjoy the music of nature in your own backyard.

Backyard Fun, Healthy Ideas

Big Time Twist on Classic Outdoor Games

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Outdoor Golf Chip Challenge

 

Only a few more days of winter are left, according to the calendar, and the promise of warmer days makes many families itch to get outdoors and enjoy the gradually rising temperatures.  Now is the perfect time to add a new outdoor game to your standard favorites, and classic games with a super-sized twist are the most popular choices among outdoor game-loving families.

Breathe a little extra fun and fresh air into your soccer or basketball games by playing Monster Soccer or Monster Basketball.  Monster equipment makes these traditional favorites enormously fun for everyone in the family.  Alternatively, golf lovers will jump for the outdoor golf chip game.  Intended for outdoor use and constructed from a heavy duty plastic material the golf chip game comes complete with stakes, mark off ribbon, and balls.

After a long winter that probably consisted of way too much indoor time, getting your family outdoors in the warmer spring temperatures probably won’t be a problem.  When you liven up your current collection of outdoor games with these larger than life classics, you may have a harder time getting your family to come back inside.

Monster Basketball Game  Monster Soccer Game

Backyard Fun, Outdoor Safety Tips

4 Tips for Choosing the Safest Swing Set Location

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Swing Sets

Before constructing your new backyard swing set this spring, make sure to think carefully about where the best and safest location will be for the playground equipment.  Use the following 4 guidelines to help you choose just the right spot:

  1. Consider the ground — Level ground is the ideal place to situate a backyard swing set.  Equipment placed on ground that is uneven or sloping can cause a swing set to tip when in use.
  2. Check the surroundings — Avoid placing swing set equipment near obstacles or hazards like trees and tree stumps, low tree limbs, exposed roots, wires, fences, large rocks, bricks, and concrete.
  3. Create a safety zone — Ensure that there will be at least 6 feet of space around all swing set equipment.  Increase that number for the area in front of and behind swings.
  4. Keep it cool — Metal and dark-colored slides and surfaces get extraordinarily hot and can burn skin if they are placed in direct sunlight.  Position the backyard swing set equipment so that slides and any dark surfaces will be out of direct sunlight for most of the day.

Planning ahead and carefully choosing the safest and most suitable location for your backyard swing set is the first significant contribution you make when it comes to playground safety.  Once your swing set is in place, it’s hard to go back and move it to a better location, so take some time to be sure that it’s right from day one.

Backyard Fun, Outdoor Safety Tips

7 Steps for Safe Swing Sets

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Safe Swing Sets

Before you know it, your kids will be clamoring to get outside and play on their backyard swing set.  So, now is the time to check the swing set and equipment to be sure that it’s ready for another year of heavy use.  Follow these 7 steps to ensure a safe start to the season:

  1. Check the overall condition of the swing set — signs of wear and tear include broken or missing parts, bent tubing or pipes, splintering or decaying wood surfaces, and rusted metal surfaces.  Replace worn or damaged parts and repair surfaces as needed.
  2. Examine the condition of swing seats, chains, ropes, cables, and other swing set equipment and accessories for wear.  Replace worn or damaged equipment.
  3. Check and tighten all the nuts and bolts on your swing set.
  4. Make sure the protective caps on the ends of bolts are still in place.
  5. Oil all the moving metal parts with a squirt or two of WD40.
  6. If your swing set includes a sandbox, replace old sand with new, or ensure that existing sand is free from debris before allowing kids to play in it.
  7. Replace the protective surface beneath the swing set with new material or replenish what is already there.

Ideally, you should check your backyard swing set for safety every month, especially if your kids subject it to heavy use.  Doing so takes only a few minutes and goes a long way toward preventing common swing set injuries and accidents.