How to Keep Your Driveway Clear: Essential Snow Removal Tips
Removing snow and ice from your driveway isn’t all about shoveling it away. While, in theory, that’s the right thing to do, there are a few tips and tricks to make your life easier. Driveway designs offer a wide range of creative options, from geometric patterns and checkerboard layouts to natural elements like plants and gravel, each enhancing the aesthetic appeal and functionality of a home’s exterior. Here’s what you need to know before you get to work.
1. Cooking Spray on the Shovel
Generally speaking, there are all kinds of oils you can use for the job, but you don’t have to spend a fortune on professional alternatives. Cooking spray is just as good. Shoveling can be exhausting, especially since snow is heavy and wet.
To make it easy, you can spray cooking oil on the shovel. As it slips, it will be extremely easy to cut through snow quickly. This means less strain on your back, shoulders, and arms which is crucial for preventing winter-related muscle injuries and fatigue.
Moreover, oil prevents snow from sticking to your shovel, which is another annoying aspect of the job.
Just make sure to wipe the shovel clean once you’re done.
2. Warm Up
Shoveling is exercise. If you’ve ever hired a Rockville snow removal service before or you’ve seen professionals at work, you might’ve noticed they do a bit of exercise first. This exhausting exercise will work your entire body, from arms and legs to back and abs.
In other words, you need to stretch a little first. Work on your arms and legs, do a bit of jogging if you can too. Gentle stretching helps increase blood flow to your muscles, making them more flexible and responsive. You’re less likely to face an injury if your muscles are warm. Simply spend 10 minutes doing it and then you can get to work.
3. Shovel Snow While Fresh
Thinking that you can wait until you actually need the car is a bad idea. Just because it snows on a Friday and you only need the car on Monday, it doesn’t mean you can let the snow settle. What most people don’t know is that fresh snow is lighter than snow that’s already melted a bit.
Fresh snow is also lighter than snow that’s been moved. From this point of view, start shoveling as soon as the snow settles. The moment snowflakes stop falling is the optimal time for removal. Sometimes, you may not even have to shovel it if the layer isn’t deep enough. A solid garden brush would be enough to move it away.
4. Do It Regularly
Stuck in a heavy snowstorm? While it makes sense to let it stop before shoveling, the truth is the more you wait, the more difficult the job becomes. More snow will be more difficult to remove, putting more strain on your muscles.
It’s much easier to just shovel or brush snow away frequently, once or twice a day, depending on the volume. At the same time, it’s safer for you too, especially since you won’t have to lift heavy weights.
Shoveling more often also means you’ll be able to prevent snow from compacting into ice. As it hardens up, it’s nearly impossible to move it by hand. You may have to hire a professional snow removal team instead.
5. Get Some Sand
If you get frequent snow in the wintertime, make sure you have at least a couple of bags of sand in your garage or stored somewhere safely. Sand can turn a slippery area into a safe one. Besides, it gives you more traction while you shovel.
Spread a bit of sand in the area where you plan to work. There’s nothing to worry about if you don’t have any. Get some cat litter, it’s just as good. If you have a garden and there’s plenty of unused soil, feel free to use it.
6. Make Ice Melt
Ice under snow is one of the most significant risks in the process. And during the wintertime, anything can become a risk. Ideally, if you get snow every year, you should have a bag or two of rock salt or ice melt. However, if you don’t have any, you can also try doing it yourself with just a few basic ingredients.
Get a spoon of dish soap and mix it into half a gallon of water. Prepare the ice melt in a bucket. Stir for a few seconds, then add another spoon of rubbing alcohol. Stir some more and you’re ready to work on the ice in your garden.
Pour the mixture where you see icy areas and it will start melting right away. It’s not as effective as rock salt, but it’s better than nothing.
In the end, maintaining a clear driveway during winter requires planning, proper equipment and consistent effort. Whether you choose manual shoveling or hire professional services, the key is preparation.
