I’m not sure anyone likes refilling their string trimmer. Once you’ve done it a few times, it’s not the worst chore in the world, but if I told you how to make your string trimmer line last longer, I don’t think anyone would object to it. Especially since you can make it last longer almost for free. Soak your string trimmer line in water to make it last longer.
Soak string trimmer line in water for 24 hours to make it last twice as long.
The trick is to soak your string trimmer line in water. Yes, plain old water. Find a bucket big enough to hold your string trimmer refill, fill it with enough water to submerge the refill, put the string trimmer refill in the water, leave it for 24 hours, then take it out and use the water to water some plants.
Soaking it for 24 hours before restringing your trimmer will make the line last longer and not break as frequently. Lawn care pros estimate it makes your line last two or even three times as long.
Why does my string trimmer line keep breaking?
String trimmer line is, of course, made of plastic. It breaks prematurely because it dries out and gets brittle with age. Soaking it in water helps it to rejuvenate and last longer.
Does string trimmer line go bad?
If you are like me, your science teacher in fifth or 6th grade told you plastics last thousands of years. But that doesn’t mean plastics remain useful for thousands of years. They take thousands of years to fully degrade. But they can dry out and become brittle in just a few years. That is why car seats for children have expiration dates. After a few years of sitting in a hot car, the plastic degrades and no longer meets its intended specifications and no longer provides the safety it did when it was new.
I see similar degradation with my retro computers, and I even noticed it when I was a kid with plastic toys and models. The plastic toys that had belonged to my parents or their siblings felt more brittle and fragile than newer ones. That’s because they were.
So yes, string trimmer line does go bad. But soaking it in water every so often rejuvenates it so you can keep using it. As for other plastics, it depends on the formulation.
How frequently should you soak string trimmer line in water?
It’s hard to say how frequently you should soak your trimmer line in water. But even when you buy it from the store, you have no idea how long it was sitting before you bought it. If you bought it today, it wasn’t manufactured yesterday. It might already be several years old. So it’s not a bad idea to soak it before the first time you use it, and then soak it about once a year. It’s not like it will get worse if you soak it too frequently. The plastic will absorb as much water as it can, but it won’t over absorb.
Keep in mind string trimmer line spends its life in a fairly hostile environment. It’s probably in your garage or a shed, where it is subjected to high temperatures. So soaking up for 24 hours occasionally is a good way to keep it in good shape, so it will last longer. Since it is a lot cheaper when you buy it in large quantities, this tip can help you save a fair bit of money.