Lawnmowers are expensive. Although lawnmowers were designed for the outdoors, this doesn’t mean that they can withstand all weather, particularly heavy rain.
If you own a lawnmower, you must take good care of it by protecting it from rain. Otherwise, rain can damage it.
In this article, we shall look at the best ways on how to protect lawn mower from rain and safely maintain it to last longer.
Contents
- Why Should you Protect your Lawn Mower from the Rain?
- How to Protect Lawn Mower from Rain?
- 1. Using a lawnmower cover
- 2. Park the lawnmower under the tree
- 3. Driving it into the garage
- 4. Park it under the porch
- 5. Keep the lawnmower in the shed
- 6. Keep the lawn mower close to the house
- Maintenance Practices for Storing a Lawnmower Long Term
- FAQs About Protecting Lawn mower from Rain
- 1. Can a lawn mower be left in the rain?
- 2. What do you do if your lawnmower gets wet?
- 3. Are lawn mowers waterproof?
- Author
Why Should you Protect your Lawn Mower from the Rain?
Before we dive in, let’s discuss why it’s crucial to protect the lawn mower from the rain.
The lawnmower was built for the outdoors, but that doesn’t mean that it should stay outdoors throughout its lifespan.
Exposure to harsh weather such as rain and snow can make your lawnmower age much faster. This is because the lawnmower is likely to develop rust corrosion, which affects its cutting performance and lifespan.
Protecting it from the rain will save you from spending tons of money on lawnmower maintenance and repair services.
How to Protect Lawn Mower from Rain?
1. Using a lawnmower cover
One of the best ways to protect the lawnmower from the rain is by covering it with a waterproof lawnmower cover, sheet tarp, tarpaulin sheet, or a tent.
Using a lawnmower cover is great, especially if you use it every other day. A lawnmower cover provides the best routine short-term storage.
The lawnmower cover should be big enough to yield the size of the lawnmower.
You should leave extra space around the sides of the lawnmower to create a pocket effect. This is important because it creates a safe space for the grass clippings and leaves that may have fallen on the lawn during storage.
Lawnmower covers are affordable. Check out this lawn mower cover
Lawn Mower Cover for Push Mowers
2. Park the lawnmower under the tree
Because the lawnmower was built for the outdoors, it can undoubtedly withstand light weather conditions. Only excess water can damage the lawnmower.
Therefore, if you can’t afford a lawnmower cover, you can park the lawnmower under a tall tree next to the house. This will keep it dry and protect it from rain.
But you can only park it under a tree for so long. Thus, you should only park under a tree if you don’t have a choice until you can afford a lawnmower cover.
Parking the lawnmower under a tree is excellent for shorter storage. For example, when you mowed today but have to do it again the next day.
3. Driving it into the garage
If you have an attached garage, then you can drive the lawnmower into your garage to avoid exposure to rain.
The garage is an exceptional place to store lawn tools such as the lawnmower because it is dry. Also, it protects the lawnmower from outside dirt and debris such as leaves and stones, which may obstruct its blades when in use.
It’s a great place to store the lawnmower long-term, but it’s recommended for people who need their garages for parking cars or other vehicles.
But if you have the extra space in the garage, use it to store the mower.
Also: Store leaf blower in garage
4. Park it under the porch
Another great way to protect the lawnmower from the rain is by parking it under the porch.
This is very effective for short-term storage because it provides the right amount of shade to protect the lawnmower from rain and dry it.
The porch is an excellent place to store the mower, especially if your porch has sidewalls to block the rain and wind.
5. Keep the lawnmower in the shed
This is the most recommended way of protecting the lawnmower from rain.
A shed is a remarkable place to protect any outdoor equipment, such as your lawnmower. This is because it essentially provides you with safe and dry storage space for long-term storage purposes.
However, storing your lawnmower in a shed is pretty expensive compared to other options because building a shed requires a lot of resources.
You must make sure that the shed walls are secure enough to prevent corrosion.
You can enhance security by adding a lock on the door to prevent theft.
Conclusively, storing your lawnmower in a shed is one of the best ways to protect it from exposure to rain and other harsh weather conditions.
If you can’t afford a shed, use other cheaper options discussed above. They’ll get the work done.
6. Keep the lawn mower close to the house
Let’s say you cannot afford the methods discussed above. You’ll have to get creative with how you store your mower. For example, you can store it next to the house.
Although it’s not the perfect way to protect the lawnmower from the rain, it will protect it from light rain until you can find a better way to store the mower.
Protecting lawn furniture from rain
Maintenance Practices for Storing a Lawnmower Long Term
If you’re planning to protect your lawnmower from the rain long term, clean the lawnmower before storage. Any excess grass and debris can obstruct the blades when in use, thus preventing its circulation system from working efficiently. Get rid of excess grass and leave behind neat cuttings.
Drain gas from your lawnmower if you’re using a gas-powered one. This will prevent your lawnmower from corroding or gumming up because of any excess gas residue left inside the engine. Use a fuel stabilizer to prevent fuel from gumming up.
You should also clean the mower thoroughly by wiping off excess dirt and debris with a cloth.
Wash your lawnmower with water, gentle soap, and a cloth to ensure to clear the surfaces.
If you have an electric mower such as Green works 20-inch 3 in 1, keep the power cable detached from the mower and store it indoors for safety purposes.
Remove batteries if you have a cordless mower before storing it. Batteries cannot stand water for more extended periods.
Find out: Utility pole on property line
FAQs About Protecting Lawn mower from Rain
1. Can a lawn mower be left in the rain?
Yes, you can keep a lawnmower outside by covering it with a lawnmower cover or a tarpaulin cover.
2. What do you do if your lawnmower gets wet?
If your lawnmower gets wet, replace the fuel and the spark and then restart the lawnmower to see if it works properly.
3. Are lawn mowers waterproof?
No, lawnmowers aren’t entirely waterproof, although they are built for the outdoors.
I hope this article answered the question of how to protect lawn mower from rain.
How you store the lawnmower depends on if you want to keep it for a short or more extended period, the type of lawnmower, and your budget.
You can use a lawnmower cover, park it under a tree, in the garage, porch, or you can construct a shed if you can afford it.
Protecting the lawn mower from the rain will save you outrageous maintenance fees and help your lawn mower last longer.
Read: How to use fuel stabilizer
