If you’ve ever watched the whole TV show Home Improvement, it’s very easy to get taken in by power of tools. You may be thinking that the typical suburban homeowner is just in love with power tools because of all sorts of psychological benefits it brings to the table. That may be true.
It’s too easy to go overboard and unfortunately, a lot of homeowners buy more tools than they have available time. It’s not a surprise that they end up replacing those tools sooner than they would like and the worst part of all of this is that, it’s all on them. The buck stops with them. It’s all their fault. Well, if you don’t want that to happen to you, then listen up!
Your tools, as awesome as they are, are not luxury items. That’s why they’re not status symbols. Depending on the kind of friends you have and the kind of shows that you watch, you may be getting a different message. You may be thinking that these are status symbols that confer some sort of aura on you.
But at the end of the day, they’re tools. They’re supposed to be functional, produce a certain range of outcomes and help make your life easier. Unfortunately, if you take care of them the wrong way, they’re not going to be able to do any of that. They’re going to break down sooner than you would like.
Here are just some basic tips so you can properly take care of the tools that you spend your hard-earned dollar on.
Invest In Proper Storage
You have to understand that when you expose a sophisticated piece of heavy-duty equipment to the elements, only a matter of time until it breaks down that piece of equipment. Whether it gets corroded or it’s lubricant’s dry out ahead of time, it doesn’t matter.
The elements are going to work against your tools. That’s why it’s a very good idea to store away your tools in a safe, clean, dry and possibly dark place. This way, you don’t need to worry about moisture. You don’t have to worry about the negative effects of sunlight exposure.
You can kiss all of that goodbye and it doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg because there’re all sorts of storage options. The most basic, of course, is to just get it a piece of cloth and cover your equipment snugly. This way, it’s not exposed to solids. It’s not supposed to debris and most importantly it’s not exposed to air and light.
Try to Clean Your Equipment After Every Use
There are many pieces of advice people give you throughout your life and a lot of them are easier said than done. And guess what? Cleaning your equipment after every single use is one of those pieces of advice that sounds good. It’s definitely prudent and it’s definitely wise but most people cannot be bothered.
They simply do not have the time especially if you are in a hurry. Because after you finish working on your projects at your garage, you have to get to work on time or maybe you need to spend time with your family. There’s just so many things requiring your attention.
Before you know it, you simply do not have the time to adequately clean your stuff and this leads to their early breakdown. And then, before enough time passes, you have to replace them.
So, do yourself a big favor, invest in the proper cleanup, at the very least schedule to clean up regularly so you can preserve the total value of the equipment that you bought in your garage.
Inspect And If Necessary Repair
Make it a point to schedule an inspection time for all your equipment. I know you’re busy. You probably have a lot of things on your plate, but you have to make time for this. You don’t have to be a hero about it and you don’t have to inspect every week. That’s too much. In fact, it’s overkill. You can inspect once a quarter or once every three months. These are good time intervals.
When you inspect your materials, be ready to put them apart to sub-assemblies and get them repaired. That’s the bottom line. If you’re going to be inspecting, be prepared to put in the time, effort and possibly money to get your tools repaired. That’s how it’s done.
This way, you can make sure you will spot problems before they get worse. Admit it or not, the worst thing that can happen is where you use your tools and since you fail to inspect them, their internal malfunction or bad maintenance leads to some sort of accident and you or your loved ones get injured. This is the situation you’re trying to avoid.
Proper Electric Cord Management
Finally, you should manage all the electric cords, lubricants and all the other things that you keep in your garage. Everything has to have its place. Everything has to be clearly labeled.
If you know where everything goes, two chances are you will make fewer mistakes and probably save more money. Because a lot of people who spend a tremendous amount of cash on tape, simply don’t have a system for tracking down the tape that they’ve previously bought.
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