Ha!! You got a thumb, Dave, for publishing the video, but I sneaked 5 acorns to Trish for the great idea!

I wrapped bright orange duct tape on my garden tools years ago for the purpose of finding them easily. One of my brothers told me this tip in 1996.

Boy Dave, did you ever marry a smart lady!
Great idea.

I use Appliance White spray paint. It is very easy to see if I lay them down and noone else has tools this color, so they are obviously mine.

I just started to do this too after spending all summer losing my trowel!! In fact I was thinking I should write an article!! LOL

I'll have to give this a try... I've lost countless tools because of all the little hands in this house. The fellows are old enough now that maybe pink will be a deterrent.

I don't usually have a problem with someone else using my garden tools. But BOY! Do I ever lose them in the grass and dirt, ! What a great idea, Trish

When I was growing up, back in the late 60s/early 70s, Mom dipped the handles of her tools in pink paint so Dad wouldn't use them. I like the electrical tape/duct tape idea for not losing them in the yard

Like Marilyn, I use colored duct tape (red in my case) to mark the handles of trowels and other tools.

I use the bright Neon colors - Orange or pink. heehee

Me too!

DavidLMO said:I use the bright Neon colors - Orange or pink. heehee

I consider my bright orange to be neon too. That's why I got it. The brighter, the better to always see and find it. I looked and looked til I found the brightest solid orange color.

I've been wraping neon orange duck tape around my hand tools for several years. Got tired of losing my hand pruners in the pine chip mulch.

I used orange spray paint on all tools large and small after stepping on a rake with tines up because I couldn't see it in the grass. Why couldn't I see it? I had painted all of my handles forest green to match my house!! Big mistake. Live and learn the hard way.

Electrical tape can be used to mark stakes so people do not poke their eyes if they bend over a short stake.

I was thinking about this. I lost four secateurs and two hand shovels last week in the garden. That is six in two months. I just cannot believe how it happens. Could there be such things as cheeky garden elves working my lot?

I will try the plumber and electrical tape as you recommend. Interestingly, a friend of mine who runs a local native plant nursery uses a metal detector to find lost tools at the nursery and at previous sites they have worked. He says he is often surprised that he finds tools he hasn't realised he has lost yet.

Gleni said: Could there be such things as cheeky garden elves working my lot?

More like Gremlins.

I did this with duct tape a few years ago. Unfortunately, in our Florida heat, the sticky part oozed a Iittle out of the sides and left the handles very unpleasant to use. I eventually had to cut the tape off and then spent more time than I wanted getting rid of the sticky residue left on the handles. Maybe the electrical tape would be better.

Electrical tape holds up a lot better than duct tape in other conditions, so I'm hopeful that it will do well. My hand tools are stored inside (when not lost!), so that helps as well.