The Best Lawn Mower Maintenance Tips & Checklist

Has your lawn mower’s performance dropped? Maybe you’ve noticed that it seems to be tearing the grass rather than slicing through it? Perhaps your lawn turns yellow and dry at the tips after mowing? It sounds like you need some lawn mower maintenance tips. 

Sound maintenance of your electric or petrol lawn mower is essential to extend the machine’s life. But significantly, keeping your mower in tip-top condition minimises the damage caused by cutting your lawn. 

Ready? Let’s get started. 

How to maintain your lawn mower

Good lawn mower maintenance practice ensures you:

• Protect your mower from wear and tear and
• Save on repair costs

Lawn mower maintenance: safety first

Before completing any maintenance tasks, ensure your mower is switched off completely and has cooled down sufficiently to avoid burns. 

For extra safety:

• Ensure electric mowers are unplugged from the power
• Remove the spark plug from a petrol mower to prevent accidental operation
• Remove the battery from a cordless mower 

How to clean your mower

We recommend cleaning your mower after each use, making annual lawn mower services more straightforward. This prevents chemicals from your cut grass from damaging the mower’s construction. 

Always:

• Remove the collection container and use a stiff brush to remove grass residue. 
• Remove clumps of grass from the underside of the mower and the blades.
• Wipe the mower after use to remove moisture from your lawn — this helps prevent rust.
• Check the screws and bolts are secure
• Rinse the wheels
• Grease the hinges if they’re becoming squeaky. 

How to service your lawn mower

Your mower needs a major service once a year, and the best time is during the winter when it’s out of action. 

Maintaining a petrol mower

Follow this checklist for the best results:

• Grease mowing parts and hinges with good-quality lubricant
• Check the oil level — remove the cap and the dipstick, wipe it clean, and then put it back in the tank. Remove the stick and check the level against the indicated minimum/maximum levels. Top up if necessary. 
• Remove and clean the spark plugs using a steel brush to remove rust from the points.
• Remove and clean the air filter. If it has a paper-style filter, knock it on the ground to remove the dust — if you need to run it under a tap, ensure it’s completely dry before replacing it (give it at least 24 hours to dry out). 
• Sharpen the cutting blades using a blade sharpening tool. Ensure the blades are balanced while grinding to ensure even grass cutting. If in doubt, get the blades sharpened professionally. 

Maintaining an electric or cordless mower

Remember, always unplug your mower from its power source before:

• Remove the hood, clean the engine, and clear debris for better air circulation. This prevents overheating while the mower is in use. 
• Apply grease or lubricant around the moving parts.
• Sharpen the blades if they’re blunt. This ensures a cleaner cut and a smaller wound on the grass tips. Find out how to sharpen your lawn mower blades.

Preparing your mower for winter 

Your grass goes dormant during the winter and stays that way until the temperatures rise above 10ºC in the spring. 

So, before storing your mower over the winter:

• Empty the fuel tank to protect the engine
• Check the oil levels — never store it without sufficient lubricant, or the parts will seize up.
• Lubricate the moving parts. Use WD40 to help keep moisture away.
• Store your mower in a dry place.

The Best Lawn Mower Maintenance tips

All steps completed? Then, you’ll enjoy a well-functioning mower in the spring. 

Then, come spring, you can perfect your lawn mowing technique! 

Happy gardening!

Louis Hooft

Founder & Lawn expert

Introducing Louis Hooft, the founder of MOOWY and your reliable expert. With a profound love for stunning lawns and extensive experience in garden maintenance, Louis is here to assist garden enthusiasts in achieving a greener and livelier outdoors than ever before. Count on Louis for invaluable tips, clever tricks, and top-notch products to make your garden flourish!