Winterize Your Tools – Step 3: Maintain Your Mower

Before you give your lawn mower the season off…

Remove its fuel by running the mower until it runs out of gas and the motor stops. Don’t just dump the fuel out. Change the oil and remove the spark plugs. Change the spark plugs if necessary. Reinstall the spark plug without connecting the ignition cable, and add a small amount of oil to the crankcase.

You don’t want to store a dirty mower.

Thoroughly clean the engine and frame of the mower. Use a scraper to remove any built-up dirt and grass clippings on the underside of the mower and rinse the underside with a garden hose. Once it’s clean, check the condition of the blade. If the blade needs sharpening, use a heavy file to remove dull edges. If the blade looks a little worse-for-wear, you can simply replace it so it’s ready come spring.