Dull, dirty or rusty hand pruners that don’t open and close easily can ruin your day. Keeping your pruners dirt-free and sharp helps you cut smoothly, preventing stress on your hands. And a clean cut heals better on the plant and minimizes the risk of infection or disease. Watch our video and read the steps below to see a quick way to clean and sharpen pruners.
How to clean and sharpen pruners
- Clean pruners with warm dish soap and water or spray the blades with Scrubbing Bubbles® bathroom cleaner to remove dried sap. If your pruners have rusted, soak them overnight in white vinegar to dissolve the rust.
- Scrub with a wire brush to remove dirt and rust. Loosen nuts or even disassemble the pruners to clean more thoroughly between the blades.
- Rinse pruners after cleaning off dirt, debris and rust.
- Buff with steel wool to take off any remaining rust or sticky sap.
- Dry with an old towel or sock.
- Sharpen the bevel with a diamond file, following the exact angle of the existing bevel. Run the file from the base to the pointed tip several times.
- Lubricate pruners with a few drops of oil such as WD-40® or 3-in-1 oil in between all moving parts.
