For many people, this past winter has been a particularly cold one. Couple that with being trapped inside due to the pandemic, I am sure most are eager to get outside! But even if you aren’t quite ready to start traveling in search of where it is Summer right now, that doesn’t mean you get get outside! That is perhaps why many people are excited to start gardening again. It is the perfect way to tackle one of those personal growth bucket list items while collecting your vitamin D and even getting a little exercise in.

But in order to get you gardening, I am sure we need to gather our equipment and make sure it is all in quality shape. So in order to get you ready, we want to cover perhaps one of the more important items you will be using, the Garden Hose Stand.

How to Recognize a Well-Made Garden Hose Stand

Likely, many of us don’t have time to consider the quality of the hose reels we use. We expect a hose reel to do its job  so that we can continue every spring and summer—or year-round in some cases—to enjoy our gardening, landscaping, and everyday uses of our water hoses.

So for most of us, we might look up something quickly online or take a quick trip to the local hardware store. Of course that may be good enough. But, unfortunately, in this day and age of mass production and manufacturing, with some unscrupulous practices and cutting corners to offer the lowest price, cheaper is no longer better. Many of us are no doubt tired of finding their garden hose stands so rusted after winter as useless or poorly made to be dented after one season of use and find ourselves having to replace them continuously.

To help you avoid the frustration of subpar hose reels, let’s tell you how to recognize a well-made garden hose stand that you’ll love to own. 

1) Materials

If the garden hose stand is created from or has parts made out of plastic, wood, resin, or fiberglass, be wary. Plastic, fiberglass, and resin do not withstand the UV rays in constant sun exposure well. Therefore, they will begin to turn brittle, break down, become yellow or crack very quickly. Wood also has several challenges. In general, it is exceptionally susceptible to moisture which in turn causes the wood to start to decay.

Now, a well-made garden hose stand will use a premium rust-proof, corrosion-resistant heavy-duty aluminum alloy with stainless steel components. Additionally, a good quality garden hose stand should offer a rugged powder coat paint that further creates a hard, smooth, and protective finish.

2) Drinking Safe Materials

While not everyone has plans of drinking directly out of their hoses connected to a garden hose stand or reel, it is still vital to own one that is drinking safe. Questionable materials and chemicals can easily contaminate hose water if the hose is made of materials such as PVC. As the water sits in the hose and the sun warms the hose, PVC hoses can release chemicals. Depending on the garden hose stand’s connection materials, they too may contaminate your hose water with lead. To keep children, pets or your even animals from being potentially exposed to these chemicals, a well-made garden hose stand should be entirely constructed from drinking safe materials.

These two quick and easy-to-spot qualities are crucial factors in spotting a well-made garden hose stand quickly. With this information in mind, you’ll be able to spot exceptional quality and a worthy investment in no time.

Don’t forget to Pin this to your favorite Bucket List Gardening Board!