Your tools are an essential part of your work. Without the proper attention and care, tools can get damaged, wear and tear faster, and even become dangerous to use. Here is quick guide on some of the things you can consider to help protect your tools.
For a tradie, your tools and equipment assist you to get the job done. That also means using quality tools reflect in your work, which is why many tradies invest in high-quality tools.
Take a moment to think of how much the contents of your toolbox would be worth? If you had to replace your tools, it can be an expensive exercise, so it pays to take the extra measures and care to look after them so they’re around the long haul.
Make time for maintenance
Not setting aside dedicated time to perform routine tool maintenance can potentially cause more problems than what you need. Think of the drama of trying to cut things like wire with blunt equipment, or the danger of having exposed wires lying around the workshop!
Being a step ahead and ensuring that your tools are in good working order, doesn’t just help protect your tools, but could potentially help prevent a workplace accident from occurring.
With so many different types of tools available on the market, each will have its own preferred method and techniques for care and cleaning. For some tradies like carpenters for example, heavily rely on electric tools and saws, where is a painter will use more brushes, ladders etc.
Always check with the manufacturer first but here is a quick overview of some useful cleaning tips which may help ou maintain some of the more common tradie tools.
Hand Tools
- Start by wiping away any dust, dirt and particles from the tools.
- Use a mix of soap and water, to help clean them
- Finish off by drying with a clean cloth
- If there are signs of rust, use a fine steel brush to rub the rust or corrosion off
- After the tool is clean from rust, ensure that you apply mineral spirits on the tool to help remove any grime deposits
Gardening Tools
- Avoid using harmful chemicals and toxic substances as the tools come into contact with things like plants and soil
- Keep your tools in a safe place off the ground and hung up on hooks
- Clean with soap and water
- Once dry apply mineral oil or linseed oil to finish the cleaning process
Power Tools
- Because these are electric tools, they require a little bit more attention and care when it comes to the cleaning process.
- First step, might seem like a simple one but always make sure that your tool is unplugged
- Wipe your tools with a clean cloth
- Oil up the machine parts- not doing this can lead to your tools being worn down in parts making them unusable.
Toolbox and Other Accessories
- accessories made from leather like your belt and bags need to kept away from water
- Shake off any dust, then use a brush with soft bristles to clean in all those hard to reach places
- Apply a leather conditioner to finish
- Try and clean out your toolbox once a month. Not only does it help to keep it organised, but it avoids the build up of dirt and grime that cause damage to your tools.
If you are ever unsure of the correct process to clean your tools, it is always wise to refer to the instruction and care manual that it came with for specific methods and techniques.
Insure your tools
The next step important step in helping to protect your tools is to get your business insurance* sorted. While you may be familiar with policies like Public Liability, did you know there is insurance available specifically for your tools?
Portable Equipment cover, also known as tool cover, covers you for loss and damage to your tools and equipment due to theft, fire and other perils listed in the wording, anywhere in New Zealand.
Depending on the type of tools you use for your tradie business, power tools can be costly. Your entire collection of electrical tools might be easily worth thousands of dollars. If something were to happen, on top of all your other expenses running a small business could you afford to replace them?
Losing such expensive equipment, either through accidental breakage or theft, can be disastrous to your business. Without your tools, you are unable to attend to jobs which affects not only your hip pocket, but your reputation too.
Portable Equipment cover can provide you peace of mind, knowing that there is a financial protection in place if something were to happen to your valuable tools of trade.
Extra measures to secure your tools
Whether you’re on site, on chucking your toolbox on the back of your tray, being vigilant and taking that extra step to secure your tools can help in the long run.
Some things to consider:
- Getting your tools engraved- makes it a bit easier to track if they are lost or stolen
- Invest in a toolbox with proper locks or safe combo
- Don’t leave your tools out in open where someone could easily come along and steal them
- Have a record of your tools so in the event that you need to make a claim you know exactly which makes and model, value etc
At BizCover, our online platform takes the drama out of shopping around for your insurances, delivering quotes from selected leading New Zealand insurers in minutes. We like to keep things easy, so there’s no paperwork required or messy forms to fill out. Experience insurance made easy today and see how we can help protect your business.
Conclusion
Aside from these useful tips, there are many other factors you should take into consideration to protect your tools. These include not leaving your tools exposed to high temperatures, storing them away from humidity, performing regular inspections, and more.
* This information is a general guide only and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. As with any insurance, cover will be subject to the terms, conditions and exclusions contained in the policy wording. The information contained on this web page is general only and should not be relied upon as advice.
