How To Easily Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades With A Kitchen Tool You Probably Have

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It's a task that's easy to overlook, but sharpening lawn mower blades is essential to maintaining healthy grass. That's because dull blades fail to create a clean cut, instead ripping grass, which makes it look messy and uneven. Additionally, dull blades put a strain on the mower itself, using up extra fuel and causing unnecessary damage over time. While it may seem daunting, sharpening lawn mower blades is a task that should take no more than 30 minutes and only needs to be completed about twice a season or after 20 to 25 hours of use.

While there are various specialty tools that make it easy to safely sharpen mower blades, if you don't have any of these in your garage, don't worry –- you can look in your kitchen. A manual knife sharpener can easily double as a lawn mower blade sharpener, especially in a pinch. Start by putting on gloves and safety goggles, drain any remaining gas from the mower, and remove the blades by following your particular model's instructions. Wipe them clean with a microfiber cloth, clamp to a sturdy surface, then place the knife sharpener against the edge at a 45-degree angle. Now, it's time to get sharpening.

One of the worst things you can do when sharpening lawn mower blades is go too sharp. Keep the angle steady and drag the file repeatedly in one direction (never up and down) until it becomes like a butter knife. This is the ideal blade sharpness, because when a blade is too sharp, it will damage your lawn and will actually become dull faster. You shouldn't need more than 50 strokes before turning the blade over to tackle the other edge.

Handheld sharpening steel will offer good flexibility when it comes to sharpening at the right angle, but if the blades are especially thick, it may take additional strokes. A pull-through knife sharpener may also get the job done, but it's limited in its angle and may not work if the slot is too narrow. If you'd like a tool that's sure to successfully pull double duty, consider the AccuSharp All-in-1 Sharpener ($17.99 at Tractor Supply Co.) which works for both knives and mower blades, or the SHARPAL 103N All-in-1 Knife Garden Tool Lawn Mower Blade Sharpener ($21.99 on Amazon), which has been highly rated on versatility thanks to its three sharpening angles.

Once finished, check if the blade is properly balanced or if it tips to one side. If so, shave it down further before reattaching it. A good hack to make this part easier is to mark the bottom of the blade with a permanent marker as soon as you remove it, so you know which way is up.