Though it’s still cold here on the East Coast, a lot of places are warming up and it won’t be long before the grass is growing tall and lush and will need a good cut. One of the most frustrating moments each spring is pulling the lawnmower out of the shed or garage after a long winter and then spending the next three hours trying to get it running.

The most important step to getting a lawnmower started for the first time is making sure you properly winterized and stored the lawnmower six months before. Second, it’s always a good idea to page through your lawnmower manual each spring and follow any special instructions the manufacturer might recommend. This refresher read might also remind you of a feature that your mower has that you might have forgotten about.

But if you’re still having problems (or didn’t properly winterize your lawnmower) are some tips that could help save you some time and energy.

• Obvious Issues: First make sure that all appropriate “switches” are turned on, make sure the mower has gas and make sure there is nothing blocking the blade or keeping anything from working safely. I once spent an hour trying to start a small gas powered chipper before I realized that it wouldn’t start unless the safety brake was fully engaged.
• Fuel: Gas is like milk in that it goes “bad” over time. The very first step if you’re ever having trouble starting a lawnmower is to empty out all the old gasoline (dispose of it properly) and put in fresh gas that came from a gas station recently. Don’t use the old can of gas you’ve had sitting in the shed for two years because that could also have gone bad. You may also want to use some fuel additive that will take out or dry out excess water and moisture that has built up in the tank over the winter.
• Clean Gas “traps”: If your mower still doesn’t start then its possible that you have to clean out the fuel line. Mowers vary in this, but you can usually take off the carburetor with a screw driver or wrench. Fuel will pool in there and turn into a thick gunky substance (yes, that’s a technical term!) that can be wiped out with a rag. I usually then spray the whole thing down with some sort of gum removal or carburetor spray.
• Air filter: If you didn’t change it when you put your mower away you might want to consider doing it now. While you’re changing the filter, check to make sure no debris or gunky gas is clogging any of the openings.
• Oil: You’ll need it, and like the gas it should be fresh and clean. Drain the oil and put in new according to the manufacturers instructions.
• Spark plug: Some people recommend taking the spark plug out and cleaning it, but spark plugs are so cheap I generally just replace it if I think it’s getting too old. I generally try to replace the spark plug once every other year or when needed.

If all else fails you can take it to a small engine repair shop or try using a thorough online lawnmower troubleshooting guide or just a checklist of minor problems that can plague a lawn mower.

Good luck and happy mowing!