Close-Up Of Various Rusty Hand Tools Against White Background
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Keep Your Tools Rust-Free With Uncooked Rice
By D.G. SCIORTINO
A person pouring rice into a container
To keep your tools rust-free, simply store them in uncooked rice, letting the grains soak up any moisture that may cause them to oxidize and form rust.
Various assortment of tools in a garage
The ability of rice to absorb water molecules is known as hygroscopicity. Due to it not absorbing any moisture yet, uncooked rice has a high hygroscopic capacity.
A gardener using rusting tool for cutting leaves
Rice can even suck up moisture in the air. That's why storing your tools in rice is especially useful in tool sheds or garages where it is damp.
A rusting garden pruner
Either place loose rice inside your toolbox, or pour it into a pantyhose-like fabric before tying it into a knot to make a rice bundle and place it wherever
you store your tools.
A hammer laying on a wooden table
If you don't have a toolbox, you can also fill a canister with rice and place the head of the tools inside, ensuring the metal is submerged in the grain.