Everyone knows that fertilizing and watering are extremely important when it comes to landscape maintenance, but keeping your lawn mower in shape is the real key to achieving a beautifully cut lawn. Without a fully functioning lawn mower, your lawn cutting ability will not only be lackluster, but it may affect your lawn’s overall health as well. If your mower is overdue for a tune up, we’re going to tell you how to do it in just 7 easy steps.

1. First you’ll need to disconnect the spark plug. This will ensure that the lawn mower won’t accidentally start while you’re working on it. Once you locate the spark plug wire on your mower, just pull it free from the rubber tube.

2. Then, you have to drain the oil. Your mower’s manual, will have instructions on how to drain your model’s engine. After draining, take the oil to your local auto body shop so that it can be disposed of properly. Do not pour it in the garbage or down a sink drain.

3. Now it’s time to replace the air filter. If your air filter is clogged your lawn mower will not work, so it’s important to replace your filter before each mowing season. Just unscrew the filter cover, replace the foam or paper filter with a new one, and recover it.

4. Next, change out the spark plug. Your spark plug wrench will loosen the existing spark plug so that you can screw in a new one. Be careful as you screw the new one in not to damage the porcelain tip.

5. Then, you’ll sharpen the blade. This part is a bit tricky to do DIY, so you may want to take it to a lawn mower repair shop to get the blade just right. If you choose to do it on your own, make sure that you wear gloves for protection and use a metal file for a smooth, sharp finish.

6. Proceed with replacing the oil and gas. Replug the oil drain that you unplugged in step number two and funnel your new oil in, checking your dipstick to ensure the proper level has been reached.

7. Finally, you’ll reconnect the spark plug. And voila! You’ve got a perfectly tuned lawn mower, ready to take on any lawn it encounters. Then pour in fresh, new gasoline.

Not so sure you want to go through all of the trouble? Not problem! The lawn experts at Turf Unlimited can take care of all of your lawn mowing needs. The best part? You’ll never have to worry about lawn mower maintenance because we use and maintain all of our own equipment.

For more information about the lawn care services that we provide, call 888-649-9919.