Your garden is a source of hours of enjoyment, making it important that you maintain your tools correctly to extend their life as long as possible. Your garden hose is no exception. Caring for it correctly will help the hose last as long as possible. Use our easy tips to care for your garden hose, so you can enjoy it for years to come.
Turn Off the Water After Each Use
Each time you use the garden hose, turn off the water at the spigot when you're finished with it. Leaving the water running through the hose increases the pressure on the hose itself and can cause it to spring a leak. Hoses that have water running through them at a high rate of pressure may even burst. Turning off the water is a simple step that can dramatically extend the life of your garden hose.
Use a Hose Reel
Leaving your hose in a tangled pile after using it can lead to damage where the hose is repeatedly bent, eventually causing breaks, cracks, and splits. Instead of dropping your hose where you finish with it, spend the time to wind it up correctly. Your best option is to purchase a hose reel and wind the hose up carefully each time you've finished using it.
Avoid Dragging the Hose
Don't make the mistake of dragging your garden hose across your lawn by nozzle, as this can cause leaks around the nozzle and attachments. Your hose will develop serious damage over time if you repeat this behavior. Use a hose reel to move it around your garden, or pull on the hose itself instead of the nozzle.
Drain the Hose for Storage
When autumn arrives, and you begin to clean up your garden for the season, be sure to drain your garden hose. As temperatures cool, you'll want to wind the hose up neatly and store it inside your basement or garage. Otherwise, you run the risk of the water inside the hose freezing and the hose splitting, cracking, or developing holes. Storing your hose properly will help extend its life so that you can enjoy it for years to come.
Caring for your garden hose correctly will keep it free of holes and cracks for as long as possible so that you can enjoy using it in the garden every year. A high-quality hose should last for five to 10 years. Use our easy tips to make sure that your hose lasts for as long as possible.
