With the arrival of spring comes lawn-mowing season. A good lawn mower can run you a pretty penny, so get the best return on your investment by taking good care of yours every spring before putting it back to use. Here, you’ll learn five basic spring lawn mower maintenance tips to get your mower ready after a winter of inactivity.

  1. Spark Plug and Air Filter– First, remove the spark plug as a safety measure. It’s important to always disable the power supply when performing work on equipment. Replace the air filter. Lawn mowers require a new, clean air filter at the beginning of the mowing season. Foam filters can be cleaned, but it is advisable to just replace paper filters, which are usually less expensive.
  2. Change the Oil– Change your mower’s oil once every season to keep the motor healthy and remove contaminants, sludge, and acids that gradually eat away at its surfaces. Drain the old oil, refilling the crankcase with the oil type and amount recommended by your mower’s manufacturer.
  3. Mower Blade– Sharpen your mower blade at least once a year. Dull blades shred grass while sharp blades cut cleanly. First, remove the blade and inspect it. Replace it if there are nicks present. If it’s in good shape, take your blade to your local lawn care or hardware store to be sharpened, or do it yourself using a rotary tool.
  4. Clean and Lubricate– Once the blade is off, remove the caked-on grass and other debris from the mower’s underside, deck, and top. Once the deck is clean, wax it to prevent more grass from sticking, then oil the wheel bearings.
  5. Refuel– Treating your mower’s fuel is an important part of helping your mower last. Before adding fresh fuel, add an ethanol fuel treatment as well. The ethanol fuel you use should contain water absorbers to manage the water your mower will encounter over the season. Also add a protecting lubricant to protect the mower from solvency damage. Finally, replace your mower’s spark plug. And voila! You’re good to mow.

Any additional mowing questions? Call your friendly neighborhood experts at Free Spray Lawn Care for extra tips and tricks.