Keeping your lawn mower outside exposes it to a lot of elements, including natural elements. But since they are designed for outdoor use, they are made with protective features that help them withstand the effects of some elements.
Letting your lawnmower stay outside for a short while might not cause any damage at all. But leaving it for a long time will cause something.
But with each of these actions you take, you should ask yourself some questions. For instance, what if it rains? And when if wetness might not cause much damage until it is very wet, how wet is very wet?
The cost of getting a new lawnmower is enough to make you worry when it gets faulty.
How to store lawn mower outside without a shed, step by step:
- Use cover or a tarpaulin
- Keep it under your porch
- Trees are another good option
- Pack up the wires, engine, and batteries
- Add fuel stabilizer before storing the lawn mower
Table of Contents
How to Store Lawn Mower Outside Without a Shed?
Homeowners get confused all about where to keep their lawnmowers since there is no space inside the house or garage. Some might not even have a garage. Most of them are left with the only option to keep it outside.
But then, a good homeowner would think of ways to keep the lawnmower safe and in good shape even if it is outside.
- Use a lawnmower cover cloth or a tarpaulin:
This is one of my favourite go-to options. Although it might not be as good as having your lawnmower in a garage, it offers good protection, especially with tarpaulin.
When the lawnmower is covered properly with the cover cloth or tarpaulin, rain falls on the tarpaulin. The tarpaulin prevents the water from getting to the machine.
Lawn mower cover:
A lawn mower cover is a device that keeps your lawn mower safe from the factors by shielding it from rain, snow and debris. They can be made of a variety of materials, including canvas, vinyl or mesh. Some covers are designed to fit over the entire mower while others are designed to protect just the engine and wheels. Some also feature built-in handles.
They come in a variety of sizes and shapes and can be used for both residential and commercial use. We suggest the craftsman lawn mower cover(Amazon) it’s durable and effective to protect your lawn mower from rain, droppings of birds and all other weather conditions.
Whatever type of cover you choose, it should have a sturdy construction that is resistant to tears and wear so it will last longer than other types.
- Keep it under your porch:
This could be an excellent choice if your porch is sufficiently sized to accommodate the mower. It’s ideal if the porch has side walls that can be closed to keep the wind and rain away. While not as secure as a shed, this alternative is still preferable to having nothing at all.
- Trees:
Your trees can serve as quite a protection for your lawnmower. It reduces the amount of rain that might touch the lawnmower and reduce the impact of the sun. But before you use the lawnmower, clean off anything that might be on it and If the tree has sap coming out of it, you might want to change to another location.
Check out my favourite video about the storage of a lawnmower here:
Further things you need to keep in mind:
- Pack up the wires, engine, and batteries:
For lawnmowers powered by electricity and battery, remove their cords and battery. Since the whole lawnmower cannot be kept inside the house, the cords and wires can and they are safer inside the house.
- Add fuel stabilizer:
If you are using a gas-powered lawnmower, leaving the lawnmower unused for days could degrade the fuel. Fuel begins to degrade between two to three weeks.
And because degraded fuel can clog the engine, you should empty the tank of its fuel before storing it. If you do not want to empty it, you can add a fuel stabilizer to keep the fuel from degrading.
Read More: How to Store Leaf Blower in Garage?
Can You Leave Lawn Mower Outside in the Rain?
This is not a good idea, so my answer is No. Anyways, a lot of homeowners fall guilty of this act even if it is by accident. Keeping your lawn mower outside exposed to rain or even a liquid as little as the morning dew can damage it.
Although the chances that something might eventually not happen to the mower, no homeowner would want to gamble with that.
You do not only expose it to getting wet by only leaving it in the rain but also by using it immediately after a rainfall.
Leaving this power tool in the rain exposes parts of it to getting damaged. Parts such as the spark plug, wheels, carburetor, deck, engine, and push handle. Although there is nothing to worry about when some of these parts get wet, there is a lot to worry about if the carburetor, spark plug or engine gets wet.
The chances of this happening are not high though because most lawnmowers come with protective covers and filters but if this happens, those parts have to be removed and spread out for a couple of hours to dry.
The wet parts are most likely to get dried but the only permanent effect is that they might start to rust. The blade of the lawnmower might get blunt due to the rust.
Do not forget the part of chemistry that talks about what happens when moisture comes in contact with electricity, for those using an electric lawnmower.
Can You Leave Your Lawn Mower Outside in the Sun?
You might be thinking that the sun has no liquid to destroy your lawnmower, that in fact, it dries liquid. Yeah right, it does but it has its share of lawnmower damages.
It might not cause severe damage to your lawnmower but if you are a lover of aesthetics, maintenance, and beauty longevity then you should not keep it out under the sun.
You can keep your lawnmower outside under the sun, it has been designed to take in the heat. But one major disadvantage of doing this is that it wears out the plastic parts of the lawnmower.
It makes it weak, easy to break and the color fades. So even if your lawnmower is just a month old out of the carton, it will look older than that.
It is also not a good idea to keep this power tool outside with gas in it, it is very dangerous. This is because the engines are built to run in an extremely hot atmosphere, under a lot of pressure. The gas tanks are also designed to expel gas vapors.
Also Read: Can You Clean and Reuse Air Filter?
Can You Leave Your Lawn Mower Outside During the Winter?
The winter season is cold and it comes with quite a handful of damage to tools not to mention power tools. Though it is not a perfect idea, you can still store your lawnmower outside. During the winter, the lawnmower is put to no use at all. So, storing it will be for a long time, at least till winter is over and the snow is gone.
For homeowners who are left with no other options than to store their lawnmower outside during winter, there are a couple of things you could do to keep winter damages away from your power tool.
The first thing to do is to cover it with a quality, heavy-duty tarpaulin. A tarpaulin is a cloth-like waterproof material that keeps water from coming in contact with whatever it is covering.
The tarpaulin might be protecting the power tool from moisture but this can only be effective if the tarp has no holes and the machine is covered properly.
Another thing is to build a lawn mower storage box. With just a few basic tools, a lawnmower lover will make a box big enough to contain the lawnmower. Also with the right texture of the paint, the box can be made waterproof, notwithstanding the material it is made of, be it wood or metal.
The last thing is to make sure that the lawnmower is far above the ground. This is so that it does not absorb moisture from the ground. It could be hung on the wall and the tip part covered with tarpaulin.
Risks You take to Store Lawn Mower Outside Without Shed
- Lifespan reduction:
You know how we always say that maintenance extends the life span of an appliance, it is very true. If your tools are stored properly inside a garage or storage room, elements such as dust, rain, sun, and all cannot come close to your lawnmower.
- Exposure to rust:
When your lawnmower is stored outside without a shed, rain falls on it. The parts that get wet will begin to rust and unfortunately, this is irreversible.
- Wear-outs and brittleness:
Exposure to sun and heat for a long time makes the plastic parts of the lawnmower weak and easy to break. As if that’s not enough, it also causes the color to fade making it look old even if it is still new.
Does it Hurt to Leave a Lawn Mower Outside?
As with many tools used outdoors, a lawnmower includes elements of weather protection. Regardless of the model or quality of each mower, any manufacturer includes different levels of protection against weather and other factors.
So, a lawnmower is not damaged by being left outdoors for an extended period. Beyond that, leaving a lawnmower in outdoor environments or outdoors can shorten its lifespan. This means that all its parts wear out much more quickly.
The specific climate of each geographical area must also be considered. Some people also have a roof or shed outside the home to store their lawnmowers.
Can I Store a Lawn Mower under a Deck?
You can store your lawn mower under a deck that even has some key features. The main thing is that water will not collect in this location after rain. It may also be essential to have a waterproof layer to protect the mower.
To accomplish these people, use a waterproof cover or some small tarp. This incorporates an additional layer to keep out rainwater or moisture, among many other factors. Any lawnmower should be in a cool, dry place, away from water, moisture, and direct sunlight.
How Do You Secure a Riding Lawn Mower Outside?
To properly secure your lawnmower outdoors, you need a waterproof tarpaulin or some efficient cover. Here the main objective is to take care of your lawnmower from water, moisture, or snow. So, you can combine a waterproof tarpaulin with bungee cords to completely wrap the mower.
This way your mower will not only be safe from water but also wind. A strong enough wind could move the tarpaulin that protects your mower. This tool should also be in an elevated location to avoid water accumulation on the ground where it is located.
Conclusion:
Your lawnmower does not have to suffer for your mistake, if only you do the right thing very fast especially after it has been exposed to rain or the morning dew. Take out the parts immediately and spread them under the sun to dry.
You do not have to learn to take care of your power tools the hard way, so make sure to cover them properly with a tarpaulin and keep it above the ground. This is easier and more certain than building a box.
Maintenance is not only about cleaning and switching off when not in use, it is also about where you store your appliances.
When your appliances are kept in the right place and under the right conditions, the chances of getting damaged by elements are reduced. And it slap saves you the stress of having to relieve or replace parts.
