Free tool

Work out when your garden power tools need servicing

This tool works out a rough servicing schedule for petrol and battery garden equipment, mowers, strimmers, chainsaws and hedge trimmers, based on how often you use them and the manufacturer's general guidance. It won't catch everything a proper inspection would, but it gives you a sensible point to check the tool over before a fault turns into a repair bill.

How-To Guide

Work out how often to service your garden tools

The Service Interval Calculator gives you a starting point for how often to sharpen, oil and check a garden tool, based on the tool type and how much use it gets. It suits anyone with a shed full of mixed tools and no settled routine for looking after them, whether that's an allotment spade used twice a season or secateurs carried most weekends. The figure it gives you is a guide rather than a fixed rule, because soil, storage and your own habits all affect how fast a tool actually wears.

Level: Beginner
Best for: Gardeners and allotment holders who want their tools to last without following a rigid maintenance schedule
Close-up of a garden tool blade being oiled by hand
  1. Enter your tool and usage

    Tell the calculator what kind of tool you have and roughly how often you use it, from secateurs picked up most weekends to a spade that only comes out twice a year.

  2. Read your suggested interval

    The calculator works out a suggested servicing interval from that tool type and usage pattern, covering things like sharpening, oiling and general checks.

  3. Fit it into the gardening year

    Once you have a rough interval, use it alongside the wider gardening calendar to decide when sharpening or oiling actually fits your year.

Garden Equipment Service Interval Calculator

Answer a few questions about your mower, strimmer, hedge trimmer or other powered garden equipment and we'll suggest an approximate window for the next service, along with a plain-language explanation of the reasons.

Heavy use, damp storage or knocks