Tool maintenance

Cleaning

Routine cleaning is an effective way to extend the lifespan of your tools, prevent unexpected downtime and reduce safety hazards – potentially saving you money in three ways.

Once you’ve unplugged your tools and let them cool down, here are some essential methods you can use to clean them in just 2-3 minutes:

• Remove coarse dirt with a brush or damp cloth
• Use compressed air if appropriate safety measures are taken against the risk of dust
• Scrape off dirt using a spatula, being careful not to damage the tool housing
• Remove grease or wipe other residue with a damp cloth

In all cases where you use a damp cloth, you should ensure that no liquid flows into the tool and that the tool is completely dry before you use it again.

If those methods don’t work, you can try more advanced cleaning methods which involve chemical cleaning agents such as universal cleaners or disinfectant liquids.

While these may be effective, users should be careful as chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide, chlorine-based fungicides, sanitary cleaner, acid/citric acid, descalers or degreasers may damage the tool you are trying to maintain.

Storage

Once you’ve cleaned your tools, you need to make sure they are stored properly so all your hard work doesn’t go to waste.

Keeping your tools easily accessible is important, but you also need a space which:

• Is at a consistent temperature and not freezing cold
• Is dry and ventilated
• Enables you to store tools off the ground so they can avoid ground moisture
• Includes space to store your batteries and cords

If you can only store your tools in a space with freezing temperatures, you should try to let them warm up in a warmer area before use. Likewise, freezing temperatures can cause battery decay so you should store those elsewhere.

Finally, if you can store your tools in their original safety casing then you should. Doing so will go a long way to extending the lifespan of your tools. 

Routine checks

Finally, once you have made sure that your tools are cleaned and stored correctly, you should create a maintenance checking routine. The daily work is vital, but you still need to monitor the overall condition of your tools on a regular basis as well.

No matter how much care you take, tools will naturally wear down over time and repairs will be required. If you catch the signs early, you can carry out preventative maintenance which is generally a lot cheaper than an emergency repair or even a replacement once the tool completely breaks.

This also goes for tool components like blades, drill bits and other consumables which you also need to monitor. A consumable that’s not fit for purpose can be unsafe and damage tools, so make sure to routinely inspect the health of your consumables.