Secateurs, spades and hoes all work better when the edge is clean and sharp. Sharpening takes ten minutes a tool and saves effort all season.
Scrape off dried soil with a wire brush, then rub the metal with an oily rag. Rust comes off with fine steel wool; deep pitting means the blade is near the end of its life.
Sharpen on the bevel side only, with a flat file for spades and hoes and a small diamond stone for secateurs. Keep the original angle and work away from the edge.
Finish with a drop of oil on the pivot of secateurs and loppers, and a wipe of linseed oil on wooden handles so they do not split.
Hang the tools up rather than leaning them in a corner; a blade that stands in damp soil rusts within a week.
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