Like a good Country Living employee, I spend at least one morning every weekend scouring estate sales. For many reasons—cost, quality, and environmental impact—I try to buy as many things as possible for my house and garden used or recycled. Luckily, garden tools don’t tend to be big-ticket items at estate sales, though they often need a little TLC when you get them home.
For years I used a pair of hedge shears with a bent blade, so every cut required just a little extra effort. Still, I was loath to replace them because, technically, they worked. Recently, though, I spotted another pair at an estate sale for $4 (it was Sunday half-off day, so don’t be fooled by that $8 price tag).
They were still very sharp—honestly, I don’t think they had ever been used. But they did have a little rust, probably from sitting in a damp garage for years. That wasn’t enough to make me pass up the deal. I had a trick up my sleeve.
One other thing to know about me: I can be a little lazy. If I have the choice between cleaning the house and sitting on the porch reading a book, I’m going to choose the latter. So when it came to bringing these shears back to life, I took the lazy route.
Here’s how I did it with very little elbow grease.
Gather Your Supplies
I started by gathering everything I needed. Here’s my list:
- Rusty tool(s)
- A large bucket or stockpot
- White vinegar
- Measuring cup (or you can just eyeball it)
- Steel wool
- 3-in-1 oil
Give ’Em a Soak
The active ingredient in this process is vinegar. Vinegar contains acetic acid, which dissolves rust and helps loosen it from the metal.
I started by making a 50/50 vinegar-and-water solution in a bucket or pot large enough to hold the shears. (I ended up eyeballing it because I didn’t have enough vinegar to fill half the bucket.) If your tool is very rusty, you can soak it in a stronger vinegar solution for greater effect.
Then I added the shears. Mine weren’t terribly rusty, so they only needed to soak for a few hours. Something in worse shape should probably soak for up to 24 hours. Just don’t get too lazy and leave them in the solution for days—too much exposure to acid can etch the metal.
Scrub, Rinse, and Oil
Next, I gave the shears a quick scrub with steel wool. I’m not exaggerating when I say this took less than two minutes. After that, I rinsed them with the hose to remove any remaining vinegar solution, dried them thoroughly, and coated all the metal parts with a good layer of 3-in-1 oil.
Good as New (and Ready to Prune)
Done. I’m armed and ready for summer trimming. All in, I spent about $5—including the shears.
