Well I'm new to gardening, tools I know pretty well. You've got a pretty good process actually. Light soapy water works best on soft handles, otherwise they get gummy and yuck. On hard tools you could use a stronger solution like simple green if you need to cut a lot of dirt and grease. But it's not so good on the soft handles.
Actually, lets not let bacteria, fungus and virus off lightly here. A detergent, like a dish oriented grease cutting product ( I use Joy brand) is going to kill a lot of pathogens. A actual soap will not. I would even suggest clothing detergent, just because of the difference in sanitation versus something like baby shampoo or the extremely low cost kitchen soaps or even car wash soap, all of which are not as biologically cleansing as one might think at first.
Never enough! Trellis some climbers!
I remember college where there was a distinctive third choice.
Nearly 6" here in the last 48hrs. EVERYTHING is soggy!
Is it that we think backwardly? We all consider our Zones after all. USDA 6a or 9b or 4 in Canada. All this means is what is the COLDEST we get, really. Summer is the dryest time around here usually, and in fact, (8a) the harshest time of year for growing anything at all. One is certainly never guided to plant anything in June for example, although many plants would survive, *of course. I just find some galactic humour in how we are taught that summer is the best time of year for plants. Yet here at least, like you have described, Mother Nature has declared it is time to water roots.
