Staying Safe While Working In The Garden

Gardening is something that you really enjoy doing as a pleasant hobby or as an annoying chore that you frustratingly do just to ensure your garden looks great. Either way, if you're spending a significant amount of time working hard outdoors, it is important to stay as safe as possible. 

​Whether you are a garden novice or gardening pro, you'll appreciate these awesome suggestions for staying safe while working in the garden.

Staying Safe While Working In The Garden

Stay Hydrated

This might be a gimme, but staying hydrated while working outdoors is an absolute must.  You lose valuable electrolytes like potassium, calcium and sodium, through sweating.  And while drinking water is all well and good, replacing these lost nutrients is even more important.  Opt for water enhanced with electrolytes, like LIFEWTR or AquaHydrate.

Wear Sunscreen

Whenever you are outdoors for long periods of time, wearing sunscreen is an absolute must. Not only will you avoid painful and uncomfortable sunburn, it could also significantly increase your chances of developing skin cancer.   Always be sure to use sunscreen and reapply as often as necessary.

Banana Boat Sunscreen Ultra Sport Performance Twin-Pack, amazon.com

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Water Resistant and Non-Greasy Sunscreen Twin-Pack, amazon.com

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Always Wear Gloves

It’s not only your skin that could be in danger when you work outside in your garden. Your hands could also end up injured or harmed as you might be dealing with weeds that are covered in prickles or thorns. So, to look after your hands, be sure to always garden in heavy duty gloves.   Wash hands thoroughly after gardening, and be sure to apply a good moisturizer, too!

6 Pairs Rubber Coated Gardening Gloves For Women, amazon.com

3 Pairs Soft Jersey Garden Gloves For Women, amazon.com

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Keep Trees Well Trimmed

Garden safety is not just limited to personal care--it's about outdoor safety, as well.  While landscapers and hired gardeners can typically handle shrubs and trees up to 15' in height, you will need to hire a professional tree service for anything taller.  An arborist will be able to assess your trees and shrubs and let you know exactly what limbs or branches may need pruning.  Trimming your trees will help protect your property (as well as neighboring properties), as shorter branches and stable trees will be less likely to cause damage in a storm or high winds.

​Be Mindful Of Repetitive Motions

One of the main health risks to gardeners is repetitive strain injury (RSI). This is because there are a lot of repetitive motions that gardeners need to carry out for long periods, such as digging, trimming, and raking. Ideally, you need to try and keep these to an absolute minimum so that you don’t develop RSI. If you do need to do a lot, try and take plenty of breaks as you go so that your muscles and tendons can relax.  

You May Also Like:

• 3 Ways To Transform Your Garden Into A Personal Paradise

• Gardening Mistakes You'll Want To Avoid

​Watch Out When Lifting Heavy Things

When you are working in the garden, you will find that there are quite a few heavy things that need lifting, such as large plant pots and big pieces of equipment, like your lawn mower. When you do lift things, make sure you do so safely. Otherwise, you could end up injuring your back or shoulders. If you aren’t too sure how you should lift large and bulky items, there are plenty of great YouTube videos that can show you how to do it.

Look Out For Insects

There's nothing worse than a mosquito bite or a bee sting--and if you're allergic, it's clearly more than a nuisance.  Make sure you are wearing long sleeves in a breathable fabric, like this awesome No Fly Zone Field Tee.  They’re treated with an invisible, odorless fabric treatment that puts the smack down on stinging, biting bugs on contact so you can spend more time gardening!  If it's just too hot for sleeves, then be sure your sunscreen pulls double duty as a bug repellent.

To get a better idea of some of the dangers of gardening, check out these stats compiled by Lawnmaster:

Infographic courtesy of lawnmaster.co.uk

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Hopefully, all of the tips in this blog post can help you stay safe while you are busy working away in the garden.  Do you have any suggestions you would add?  Let us know in the comments below!

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