We use shovels for all sorts of yard work, whether it’s getting the soil ready for planting, moving mulch, or shoveling snow off pathways. Whatever the chore, a good old-fashioned shovel can help you get it done. The only downside is that when you use one with an old wooden handle, your hand may get stabbed by a couple of splinters throughout the day. If you’re tired of getting pricked and having to nurse a throbbing finger, then you’ll love this easy repair trick that involves WD-40. The iconic lubricant can be used to spray down the wooden handle of the shovel to keep the wood moisturized, making it less likely to give you a splinter. You could also use this hack on the wooden stick of the shovel to keep it splinter-free as well.
This hack works because WD-40 helps condition the wood. It creates a protective layer over its surface, keeping it lubed throughout use. This will make it much less likely to splinter, saving your hands from painful pinpricks. If you have some old shovels that could use some TLC, here’s how to use WD-40 on your garden tools.
How to repair your splintering shovel handles with WD-40
WD-40 is used for all sorts of shovel-related maintenance, so it’s not surprising it can also be used to help protect the handles. For example, you can store your garden tools in a WD-40 sand mixture to keep the metal rust-free, and you can spray the face of your shovel to make snow removal a snap. But if the handles are what’s ailing you, all you need is a can of WD-40, some water, and two rags to solve your problem.
To start, clean any debris off the handle with a wet rag. Once it’s clean, position the handle away from you and give it a fine mist with your WD-40 product. Next, take the other, fresh rag and rub the lubricant into the wood, treating it like a conditioning agent. Allow the product to sink in and dry before using the shovel again.
However, there are some caveats to using this hack. This will only work on wooden handles, as there is no need to spray down plastic, rubber, or metal handles to avoid splinters. At the same time, you can spray down metal or steel handles with WD-40 for a different reason — to prevent rust or corrosion. The formula repels water from the surface of the metal, and since moisture is required for rust to form, it will keep your handles corrosion-free.
