5 Helpful Tips To Remove Snow

If you live in the midwest or northern climate, snow is almost inevitable in the winter. While nobody really enjoys shoveling the snow ( we all enjoy playing in it like our children right ), there are a few things you can do to make the process a bit safer and easier for yourself. Depending on if you own your home or live in an apartment complex, you’ll either be removing the snow yourself or having a handyman to shovel it for you. If you see on your weather channel that a big snow storm is on it’s way, below are a few tips to help you during the cleanup process.

1. Place Stakes To Make Your Sidewalk and Driveway: If you are hiring a company to handle the snow removal for you or you are going to do it yourself, you’ll want to create snow stakes to mark the edge of where your driveway and you sidewalk is. This will help mark where your driveway and sidewalk are regardless of either inches or feet of snow you get. You can also use four to six markers to line most normal two-car driveways or use them to mark where your gas meter, fire hydrating or anything else might be difficult to see in the snow. If you need to drive before the snowstorm hits, this is also a great safety feature for you to help figure out where to drive if there is too much snow when you get home.

2. Grab Ice Melt Before The Storm: One of the biggest things you can do to help yourself not get injured is apply ice melt. A slippery driveway or walkway can be extremely dangerous and you don’t want to wait until after the ice has formed to throw any rock salt on it. By applying it directly to the ground before the snowstorm occurs, or before precipitation has a chance to freeze, is one of the most effective ways to manage those icy surfaces. 

3. Bundle In Layers: If you are shoveling, be sure to dress yourself in layers because it might take you a while to shovel your snow. Even in what you think might be ok conditions, frostbite can develop in about two hours or less depending on the windchill and air temperature. You’ll want the proper gear to help you including coats that have a layer underneath to keep you warm, a water resistant hat as well as gloves and a hat that covers your ears. 

4. Wear The Right Shoes: Beyond wearing the correct gear outside, you also want to invest in footwear to protect yourself from slipping. There are shoes that have special cleats which are designed for the winter weather. Be careful thorough, these cleeas are not like your standard soccer cleat but truly ones that are there to help grip your shoe in the ice, similar to a tire chain to put around your tire to help keep the traction when you drive. 

Image: Premier Snow Management 

5. Hire A Professional: If you are uncomfortable about removing any snow around your home, especially when it comes to your residential area, you’ll want to hire a proper professional to do it for you. If you live in New Jersey, a company called Premier Snow Management has been in the business for over 20 years and can provide these services for you and your neighbors. This particular snow removal business, located in the Jersey City area to help you with not only snow removal but also sidewalk management, snow melting, snow hauling, ice management and snow stacking. They are armed with the trial and error, decades of hands-on experience and knowledge to execute the perfect snow removal tactics for a variety of needs and customers. 

Removing the snow doesn’t have to be a chore, especially if you can find friends, neighbors or family to help you in the process. When a big snowstorm comes, my kids love to come and help shovel the driveway and sidewalk. If the weather isn’t too bad, they also enjoy shoveling the sidewalk and driveway of our neighbors as well. If you are ever hesitant to do it yourself, hiring a company to assist will be the best money you spent so you don’t get hurt in the process.