Muddy state

[emmielou]

I garden on quite heavy soil and I'm fed up with having to scrape and wash down my forks and spades after every time I use them. Do you have tips that could make life easier?

[Charlie]

There is an easy and relatively painless way to keep your tools immaculate. Fill a bucket with coarse sand and then pour over some form of oil, like old engine oil. After you finish using your fork or spade push it in and out the sand a couple of times. The sand will remove the earth and keep blades smooth, while the oil will protect the metal and stop the dirt sticking next time round.