Is Soaking Weed Eater String A Handy Lawn Hack Or Bad Idea?

When your lawn is overgrown because you've been away on your summer vacation, it's time to get out your weed whacker to tame that unruly growth and get your garden back in shape. But there's a handy lawn hack that you should consider doing first before you power up the weed eater and start attacking your overgrown garden. Soaking your weed eater string in water is a good idea for a number of reasons. The main benefit of doing this is that it will make the string more pliable and less likely to break. This might save you from having to hire a professional to help you clean up your yard because the job has become too time-consuming.

Most weed eater strings are made from nylon, which is hygroscopic. This means that it will absorb water, even from the humidity in the air. Once the nylon absorbs moisture, it becomes more flexible and has less tendency to break. So, if you've ever become frustrated at how often you have to stop to rewind the string on your weed eater because it's constantly breaking, you'll definitely want to use this handy hack to avoid this annoying problem. This will also allow you to use your weed whacker for razor-sharp garden edges. 

The nylon weed eater string that you're using has a tendency to become quite brittle with age, as it is allowed to dry out in between uses. So, if you've been away from home and your weed eater has been sitting in the shed, it's likely that the nylon string has become quite dry. But there's a simple way that you can condition your string to limit the amount of breakages that you'll experience while attacking all the excessive growth in your garden.

It's recommended that you soak your string in warm water at a temperature of around 140 degrees Fahrenheit for just an hour or two before putting it back on your string trimmer. This should be enough to help the nylon absorb some moisture and become more pliable and less likely to snap. It's even better if you can soak the trimmer line in water overnight so that it absorbs more water. According to Stihl, a manufacturer of weed eater nylon string, you can even store your string in water in between uses. This means you won't have to discard string that's been sitting around for a while and will save you money in the long run. And, if you're a fan of Stihl tools, you might be interested in the Stihl weed trimmer tool that'll whack weeds right out of your lawn.