U.S. retail sales of lawn care supplies are expected to reach around $6.6 billion in 2019. If American property owners don’t take excellent care of their lawn mowers over the long and cold winter, families will have to spend a significant amount of money on either repair work or completely replacing their mowers.
Properly storing your lawn mower can help you avoid these costly problems, enabling you to get right back into landscaping once the winter is over. Here are some important things to keep in mind when prepping your lawn mowers for storage over the winter:
- Degrease everything — Degreasing your mower is extremely important right before you store it in your garage for those long, cold winter months. It’s recommended to spray a degreaser across any oil stain, let it sit for around 15 minutes, wipe it off with a clean towel, and then rinse it with a powerful hose to get rid of any excess oil.
- Clean your mower’s fuel cap — This is a simple step that far too many homeowners forget to do prior to winter storage. Simply use a small paintbrush to clean away debris from the top of the fuel cap. Beware to use degreaser on the cap itself, however, since that could clog the small air vents inside the cap.
- Clean the undercarriage — Before you put your mower away for the next few months, clean off all that excess dirt and grass from underneath to avoid serious issues down the road. All you need is a car wash detergent, putty knife, and a strong hose.
- Lubricate metal to prevent rusting — No one wants to open their garage door after a long winter and see a rusted mower. To avoid rusting, use WD-40 or a silicone spray on any bare metal parts to provide a fresh look.
If you want to learn more about how to take better care of your Swisher lawn mowers, find Swisher replacement parts, or have your electric clutch repaired by experienced professionals, give us a call today.
