The pleasure of homeownership also entails the responsibility to upkeep your property, especially in winters. Snow removal is something as challenging, stressful, and time-consuming as it is essential. It is neither easy nor optional, making it difficult for people to invest hours in it every other day. Without proper snow removal, walking surfaces around your house pose a potential threat to your and others’ safety. Hence, we have compiled this blog to help you understand the significance of snow removal and get it done yourself or contact us for professional snow removal aid.
In This Article,
💠 What is Snow Removal,
💠 How to Remove Snow Yourself,
💠 Snow Removal Supplies,
💠 The Perks of Timely Snow Removal,
❇️ WHAT IS SNOW REMOVAL?
Snow removal, also known as de-icing, refers to moving piled-up snow out of the way to make space for you to walk, park your car, or preserve your property’s aesthetic. It is a long, tiresome process that focuses on cleaning out snow in spaces like driveways, walkways, rooftops, lawns, decks, or even just the steps leading up to a porch. You can get this job done by yourself or hire a professional company to take the burden off your shoulders. Sometimes, professional companies may also offer you the option to go for anti-icing. Anti-Icing includes carefully selecting the right chemicals that work wonders for de-icing and preventing the formation of large piles of snow for a specific time. It also makes it simpler to mechanically remove the ice later on, such as by scraping and pushing. Let us show you the simplest ways to get the job done if you want to DIY it.
❇️ HOW TO REMOVE SNOW YOURSELF?
Here are the top three ways you can de-ice all that snow piling up around your property:
⭕ MECHANICAL METHODS
The mechanical snow removal methods revolve around plowing and scraping snow or ice to clear out a space. These include cost-effective investments such as icebreakers, brooms, and squeegee blades that will allow you to make this daunting task more manageable for you, especially if you are not a professional at it. Let us walk you through how each option works:
- Icebreaker: It is a tool that uses metal blades or spikes to penetrate bonded ice with the pavement into smaller chunks. This makes it simpler for you to lift it using a regular shovel and remove it from the way. You can invest in icebreakers to get the de-icing task done by yourself without needing to contact expert help.
- Electrical Snow Thrower: Slightly different from a snowblower, an Electrical Snow Thrower is an effective mechanical tool that sucks in all the snow around in a split second and discards it away. It is a simple tool to ensure you get rid of the excess snow on days you cannot contact a professional snow removal firm. It will require lesser effort and show visible results as well.
- Snow Blower: Resembling a lawnmower in shape and function, a snowblower has a drill that picks up snow and sends it to the impeller. Investing in this tool will simplify your life as it swiftly discards the troublesome snow, and you would not even need to contact the experts to get the job done.
⭕ MELTING METHODS
Sometimes, people do not have the time, energy, or skills to use mechanical snow removal methods – which is fine. In those cases, you can always resort to snow-melting removal methods. These methods are easy to execute and offer you the utility you have been looking for in a short time. Let us walk you through the three tips of melting snow:
- Heat: Of course! Heat is the first thing that comes to your mind when you get rid of something as cold as snow, right? You can use heat to melt all the snow piled up in your driveway, porch, stairs, and deck. It would require you to be mindful, but it is overall a simple method to execute compared to getting acquainted with the mechanical tools. You can use hot water to melt and wipe away the snow. However, it is not a long-lasting solution. Therefore, add a few drops of rubbing alcohol and dish soap to ensure it removes as much snow as possible without being much of a hassle.
- Salt: You can also use salt as it melts away all the ice that snow has turned into. It lowers the freezing point and ensures that snow is cleared out quickly. You can put salt on the ground, road, or anywhere before it snows. In this way, the salt can mix itself with it when snow arrives, bring the temperature down, and make the snow melt away. It also prevents subsequent ice formation.
- Alcohol: Alcohol, by itself, may not be the most effective snow removal method to use. However, if you be sure to mix rubbing alcohol with dishwashing soap and add it to boiling water, you can easily take down multiple piles of snow as the mixture is strong enough to wash away and prevent ice-formation of the washed off snow. Moreover, it is a simple technique that goes a long way. You do not need to invest too much physical labor or cash.
⭕ HIRE A PROFESSIONAL SNOW REMOVAL COMPANY
Hiring professionals is quite possibly the best option you have for snow removal. It will offer you various benefits that you cannot ensure without professional help. Hiring a professional snow removal firm such as ours will provide you with the right equipment, excellent timeliness, and reliability in the quality of their services. Moreover, it will take the burden and responsibility off your shoulders. You just need to sit back and rely on us as we take care of this task for you. Is this not better than tiring yourself before a long workday in the morning? We can get it done for you if you contact us today!
❇️ SUPPLIES FOR SNOW REMOVAL
Here are some of the diverse shovels you need to be familiar with to clean out snow yourself. Once you are familiar with the types of snow removal equipment, you can figure out which one is best for your needs. Have a look:
- Ergonomic Shovels: Ergonomic shovels have been designed mainly to protect your back from getting injured while shoveling. You can identify an ergonomic shovel by observing that it has a bent handle that enables you to easily lift the heavy snow without demanding you to invest more energy into it.
- Standard Shovel: The standard shovel has the following characteristics: a straight, typically ribbed aluminum handle, a loop-shaped grip, and a wide scoop. It is to provide the most incredible range of coverage.
- Telescoping Shovel: It is specially designed with your car in mind to help you get out of a tight spot. The handle can be easily disassembled and reassembled, allowing you to utilize it efficiently in emergencies regarding your vehicle and snow.
- Corn Scoop Shovel: The corn scoop shovel has a narrower scoop than a standard or ergonomic shovel, which allows it to fit into tighter spaces. It also enables you to lift piles of wet and heavy snow easily.
- Leaf Blower: Leaf blowers may get the job done if you wish to remove light snow. However, it may not be your ideal option out of all others as people complain it sticks the snow to other surfaces such as on cars if you are cleaning a driveway. However, if you have nothing else to help you out, make use of a leaf blower!
- Ice Spear: Like a regular spear, ice spears are sharp-edged tools that help you break the ice into smaller pieces that can easily be removed later by a shovel.
- Brooms: Brooms are used best when your snowfall has been so less that you could clean it up with a regular broom. Keep a snow broom separate from an indoor broom as you do not want the outdoor dirt and pebbles to scratch your indoor surface later.
- Snow Sleigh: It has a similar handle design to a hand snow pusher. The significant difference is that a snow sleigh has a large, flat scoop, whereas a hand snow pusher has wheels in some models. Snow sleighs will easily slide across flat surfaces while taking the snow along to push it aside.
- Hand Snow Pusher: It is best suited to clear out light snow on a wide and flat space. It has a long, wide-loop handle and a wide metal scoop at the front, making it simple to clear out snow without needing to bend or scoop. However, if you get heavy snowfall in your area, this tool is not the best choice.
- Secondary Grips: Certain curved or straight handle shovels have room for a second grip to be installed. It is typically installed halfway down the length of the shovel, which offers added leverage and helps to reduce the chances of back injuries when lifting large snow piles.
❇️ THE SIX PERKS OF TIMELY SNOW REMOVAL
Timely snow removal offers you plenty of perks. Let us take you over the top six of those sterling perks that will convince you to hire our professionals to get the tasks done for you:
- Prevent Accidents: When the snow melts, it turns into slippery ice to walk on. You are under a constant threat of slipping and hurting yourself severely if you do not watch your step. Hence, timely snow removal allows you to get rid of snow when it is safe and easy to lift. You will be doing yourself a favor by ensuring you prevent accidents this way.
- Zero Lawsuits: Imagine someone else slips on the icy surface around your property and truly hurts themselves. They could file lawsuits against you for not maintaining your property. Some areas have laws about snow removal, which may require you to pay a hefty fine in case a hazard occurs. Therefore, it is essential to clean up snow to eliminate such possibilities.
- Saves You From Property Damage: If you do not shovel for months and snow keeps piling up on your property’s roof, it threatens the peace of your property. In worst-case scenarios, your roof may even collapse due to the heavy snow burden that has been there longer than it should be. Therefore, timely snow removal reduces the threat of roof collapse and property damage, making snow removal an essential part of property upkeep during winters.
- Cleaner Outlook of Property: The snow starts becoming dirty when you do not remove snow for a few days. The mixture of snow-turned-ice and dirt makes your property seem untidy and unkempt. To make your place seem cleaner and more excellent, it is crucial to get rid of the snow before it gets too dirty. Moreover, leaving snow on specific plants and grass will make it more challenging for those plants to thrive when it is springtime. Removing snow before it freezes your plants will help you ensure a cleaner outlook for your property. If you wish to sell your property during winter, you may even be able to charge a higher price for it for its well-maintained outlook.
- Prevents Water Infiltration: We already know that piled-up snow will melt. However, many people fail to realize that if they do not clean the snow on their rooftops, the water may penetrate through cracks and cause leaks in the property. This water infiltration is an undesirable side-effect of snowing that you can get rid of when you focus on timely snow removal.
- Professionals Will Get It Done: You can sit back and relax as you contact professionals to get the job done. We have the right equipment, workforce, and skills to clear up the piles of snow around your property – wherever they may be. It will save you plenty of time, energy, and hassle as we will happily take the burden off your shoulders. Get in touch with us today to hire our professionals to avail our excellent snow removal services.
❇️ CONCLUSION
The bottom line is: that timely snow removal is as critical as tiresome. It is essential to have a plan in mind to maintain your property’s aesthetic during winters. As a business owner, you may already know how crucial it is to clean your parking lot and sidewalks of snow and ice to ensure your employees and customers can arrive and leave safely. As a homeowner, you want to keep your property free of damage and ensure the maintenance is up to the mark. In any case, you can turn to us to cater to your needs. Our professional workforce will take the responsibility of snow removal off your shoulders and allow you to get in that extra rest in the mornings when snow falls. You can relax knowing that experts are getting the job done for you – all you have to do is ring us up!
