How to maintain a lawn mower

on Nov 03, 2026

in DIY Guides & Building Tips, Gardening

Short answer: first remove the battery or unplug the mower. Then clean the deck, check the blade for burrs and cracks, and have a blunt or damaged blade sharpened or replace it. Store the mower dry and keep the battery separately, indoors and frost-free, half charged. That way your lawn mower will cut cleanly again next spring.

Read this article in Dutch as well: Hoe onderhoud je een grasmaaier?.

Why maintenance is needed

Grass, moisture and sand stick under the deck. That rusts, makes the mower heavier and means the grass is collected less well. A blunt blade tears the grass instead of cutting it. The tips then turn brown and the lawn becomes more susceptible to disease. A quarter of an hour of maintenance after the season prevents this. Read more about the garden after the season in our blog on getting your garden ready for winter.

What do you need?

garden gloves with latex coating or work gloves with nitrile coating against the sharp blade;
safety goggles against flying dirt;
a lawn mower brush with scraper and a multifunctional scraper for the deck;
a spanner for the blade bolt;
a dry cloth.

⚠️ Always remove the battery or unplug the mower first. On a petrol mower, disconnect the spark plug lead. That way the mower can never start by accident.

Step by step: maintaining a lawn mower

Make the mower safe. Battery out, plug out or spark plug lead off. Wait until the blade has stopped.
Empty the grass box. Knock the box out and brush it clean.
Clean the deck. Tilt the mower according to the manual, with the air filter or battery connection facing up. Scrape off caked grass with the scraper and brush the deck clean. Never hose down a cordless or electric mower with water.
Check the blade. Look for burrs, dents or cracks. A slightly blunt blade can be sharpened. Always replace a bent or cracked blade.
Replace the blade if needed. Always use the right blade for your mower, such as the blade for the LMS40-38BL or the blade for the LMS40-46BL. Tighten the blade bolt as the manual specifies.
Check wheels and levers. Check that the wheels turn freely and that the control levers work properly.
Store the mower. Put the mower away dry and clean, preferably indoors.

Man wearing safety glasses and work gloves working on a lawn mower

Sharpen or replace the blade?

Situation	What do you do?
Light burrs, blade straight	have it sharpened and balanced
Deep dents or a chip in the blade	replace
Bent blade or crack	always replace
Mower vibrates after sharpening	blade out of balance, have it checked or replace

A blade out of balance makes the mower vibrate and wears the motor. Not sure? Have the blade sharpened and balanced by a professional or replace it.

Storing the battery properly

A battery lasts longest if you store it separately in winter. Charge the battery to about 40 to 75 percent and keep it indoors, dry and frost-free, preferably between 5 and 25 °C. Do not leave the battery in a cold shed or in the mower. Read more about batteries in our blog on the Stalco 20V battery system.

Time for a new mower?

If the mower is worn out, you can choose an LMS40-38BL cordless lawn mower for a smaller lawn, an LMS40-46BL cordless lawn mower for a medium-sized lawn or an LMP60 self-propelled cordless lawn mower for a large lawn. A cordless lawn mower set with two batteries has two batteries, so you can keep mowing without interruption. For the edges, use a GTP60 cordless grass trimmer. Also see our brand blog on Stalco.

A tidy garden after mowing

With a fan rake or a cordless blower you remove leaves and clippings from the lawn. Also read our guide to Stalco Garden tools and, for the right gloves, our blog on gardening gloves and tools.

👷 Does the mower make strange noises, vibrate heavily or does the motor not run properly? Have it checked by a professional. Do not try to repair a motor or electronics yourself.

💡 Clean the deck briefly after every mow. Fresh grass is much easier to remove than caked grass.