There is a vast range of lawn mowers on the market, each in a different price range offering different features. But the most important feature of your lawnmower is the blade - the tool that actually cuts the grass.

All blades will dull over time....if you allow the blade to stay dull, there will be repercussions. A dull blade will have to work harder to cut the grass, and will not cut it as cleanly as a sharp blade. This damages the grass, and it also can damage the mower engine, as the engine will have to work harder to power the blade.

Lawnmower Blades

Read the manual on your lawnmower. Lawnmower blades are made from a variety of materials - and some are not capable of being sharpened by the owner.

1. The manual will tell you how to remove the blade
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2. If the mower is electric, pull out the plug, if battery operated, remove the battery, and if it's a gasoline engine, remove the spark plug and make sure the gas tank is simple. The reason is simple. Most accidents regarding lawn mowers entail the blade cutting off a few fingers, either when the operator is trying to remove a jam with their bare hand, or taking off the blade and accidently starting the mower. Regardless of how unlikely you think it is - better safe than permanently sorry.

3. Tip the mower over - but be careful in doing so, so no oil spills from its reservoir and gets into the air filter.. Wedge a piece of scrap wood against the blade to prevent it from moving while you use the appropriate wrench to unscrew the blade and remove it. Wear gloves.

4. Place the blade in a vice.

5. Sharpen the blade with a file or grinder.

6. Check the balance of the blade by putting a screwdriver through the center hole, and then holding the screwdriver out horizontally. If the blade tilts one way or the other, carefully file off a bit of the heavier side.

6. Refit the blade.

7. Replace the sparkplug, battery or electric cord.

It's always best to sharpen the blade every couple of months.

If you don't want to go to the bother of sharpening your blade, you can always buy spares and put a new blade on the mower. Bring the old blade into a hardware store and have them sharpen it. Then store it in a safe place so no one will be able to cut their hands on it.