Keeping your garden well edged and polished is an easy maintenance job. Just a few hours a week can ensure that it looks well kempt and tidy. However, the task will only be as easy if the proper tools are used. One of the essential tools needed to keep a garden well tended is the land mower.

But you can opt to use the less bulky and more-environment friendly hand pushed mower. Unlike the noisy, heavy, and hard to start old petrol models, the hand mower is efficient and cheap! Plus it won’t blow exhaust and grass bits into your face while mowing.

The hand mower is a smart investment as it can last up to a lifetime. The typical hand mower uses hardened high-grade steel with non-stick coating, which protects it from the daily or weekly wear and tear of mowing the lawn, so you need not worry about sharpening the cylinder blades often – maybe as often as every five years?

Many gardeners attest that using a manual lawn mower also keeps the grass healthier and looking more spiffy in general. This is because unlike rotary mowers, which rip the grass from the ground, the blades of hand pushed mowers cut finely like scissors.

Here’s how to sharpen your hand mower.

You will need

12-inch file, a crow bar and a workbench. Keep a bucket of water, soap and rags nearby for cleaning.

First, set up your area

Make sure you have enough space to maneuver around the lawn mower. It is best to have a large sized table or workbench to place your lawnmower. Before disassembling your lawn mower, make sure to clean the blades of grease, dirt, and grass.

Disassemble your lawnmower and place it on the workbench. If you have vises available it would be advisable to secure the mower to the workbench with it. Place the small crowbar between the blades of the lawnmower to prevent it from moving while you sharpen the blades.

Then place your file at a 45-degree angle against the blade. File the blade in clean, smooth swipes. Do a few strokes and then check your handiwork.

Once one blade is done, remove the crowbar and turn the blade and take to filing the next blade. Make sure to secure the crow bar before filing the next blade. Continue until you have done the full rotation. In order for the mower to work as efficiently as before, all the blades must be filed exactly. You may need to gauge every so often to make sure the blades are consistent in height and angle. You can buy a file guide or you can make a template of the blade profile to help you not over file or over cut a particular blade.

Once all the blades are finished, do one sweep over with the rag to remove any dust and then you can proceed to assembling your hand mower again.

To keep your hand mower in tiptop shape, make it a point to mow your lawn weekly. Due to the design of the hand mower, the mower cannot cut tall, willowy reed-like plants. The taller the grass the harder it is to push and cut with the mower.