Just as you should properly store your skis for summer and your tent after a big backpacking trip, your hand tools need attention too! Keeping your shovels, picks, and rakes clean and properly maintained ensures they have a long and healthy life. Follow these tips as you get ready to hibernate your tools for winter.

1. Clean Me: Get all the dirt, dust, and mud off your tools, paying special attention to the "business end" (e.g. the head of a shovel, the tines of a rake, or the pick or adz of a pick mattock). Spraying the tools down with a hose works well. Be sure to fully dry any tools before storing, or risk cultivating a layer of rust.

2. Oil Me: Any wood-handled tools should be oiled before storage. This moisturizes the wood and prevents cracking or splitting. RMFI recommends linseed oil.

3. Sharpen Me: During the course of a busy field season, shovels, picks, and rakes become dull and can form burrs in the metal. For heavy duty tools (pick mattocks), RMFI uses a bench grinder to get them back to top notch shape. For lighter duty tools (shovels, rakes), RMFI uses hand files to remove any burrs or deformities that may have formed during the season.

4. Tighten Me: Loose heads on shovels, rakes, or picks should be tightened. This extends the life of the tool and ensures the safety of the tool user.

5. Replace Me: Sometimes you just have to say goodbye. While we hate getting rid of an old or broken tool, if you have a shovel, pick, rock bar, or bucket that is grossly deformed (one too many 200 lb rocks moved) or broken, it might be time to part ways. Safety should always be your top priority, so if you have a tool that compromises your safety, GET RID OF IT!