Maintain mower for easy start in spring

Are we there yet, finally putting the lawn mower away for the season? In many parts of the country, the answer is yes. But if you want to start right up again in the spring, you have to do light maintenance before you put it away:

Use up the gas if you can. It will be easier than draining it. Don’t leave gas in the mower over the winter, because it will go bad and cause damage.

Clean off grass and debris.

Remove the spark plug before getting under the deck to clean that area. Replace the blade and apply some grease to the edge to prevent rusting over the winter.

Remove oil from the engine and replace it.

Remove air filters and clean and/or replace them.

Lubricate all moving parts with WD-40.

Install a new spark plug. Since spark plugs are fairly inexpensive, get a good-quality one. It will work more efficiently.

If you need to replace any parts, order them now so you will have time to install them before spring.

Winter is a good time to send your mower to the service center. You probably won’t have to wait in line like you would in the spring, so do it now if you need professional repairs made.

If your mower handle folds down, you can do this and probably store it in an out-of-the-way spot for the winter.

Before your first mowing next spring, put in fresh gas. Don’t buy too much gas at a time and add a fuel stabilizer to help the gas stay fresh longer.

You should be able to take care of most of this in a weekend. It’s much better than mowing, though.

Petroleum jelly facts

Petroleum jelly is perfect in the shop and super in the home, and just about everyone has it somewhere in the house. We have put together of some of the uses we have found for this stuff in and around the house. Some you may have tried but, hope others will be new to you.

Heck, you may have some clever uses we didn’t list. If so, let us know and we will add them to our list.

If you would like a copy, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to us at the Houston Chronicle, P.O. Box 4260, Houston, TX 77210, allowing six to eight weeks for delivery. We will post it at www. thesuperhandyman.com.