Is Aluminum Foil The Secret Solution To Dull Pruning Shears?

Overgrown gardens and dead branches call for some light pruning — the perfect use for your favorite pruning shears. However, your trusty, yet very rusty, shears are no longer working like they used to, and you struggle to easily clip branches. Rather than spending $14 on a brand-new pair from Amazon, clean and sharpen them yourself to bring your pruning shears back to their former glory. You may already know that the secret to sharpening a dull pair of scissors is already in your kitchen, so you may be wondering if this aluminum foil hack works for sharpening your garden pruning shears. The answer is not really.

Cleaning and sharpening your pruning shears makes working in the garden easier, but it also helps protect your plants from disease. When you cut aluminum foil with a pair of regular scissors, it doesn't actually sharpen them. The aluminum foil works to remove rust from the metal and build-up like dirt, making them feel sharper, even though they actually aren't. While removing this debris helps for standard scissors, it is not enough when trying to make clean cuts with pruning shears in your garden. Instead, try using a file to sharpen the edges of your favorite pruning shears.

Gather some sandpaper, steel wool (or a ball of aluminum foil), a file, some water, and some bleach. To stay safe, wear gloves to protect your hands. Then, start by cleaning your shears. Rather than using the steel wool as shared in the video, try using a ball of aluminum foil instead. The aluminum foil dissolves the iron oxides in rust, making it better than steel wool.  Once the shears are clean, use the metal file to sharpen the tool and use sandpaper to smooth out any rough edges. Finally, you will want to sanitize your shears to prevent them from spreading diseases that can hurt your plants. Simply create a solution of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water. After you have sanitized your shears, take a moment to use some WD-40 to help them work better than ever.

Thanks to this hack, not only have you saved at least $14 and your favorite pruning shears, but this method also works on loppers and hedge shears saving you even more. You are also being more sustainable and can quickly get back to your original projects. Before you head back to the garden, take a moment to make sure you avoid these mistakes while pruning your plants.