Mid-winter Snow Shoveling Tips for Homeowners

6 Snow Shoveling Tips for Around Your House

SNOW REMOVAL | HOMEOWNER TIPS

Winter shows up at different times and in varying intensity. This year has been well off the norms in terms of winter weather thus far. In fact, few places in Pennsylvania, and throughout the country for that matter, have seen much of a winter at all. There have been a few inches of snow here and there and even some ice mixed in but the larger snowstorms have yet to appear. We may like to think winter will just bypass us, however, we all know that is wishful thinking. Winter will show up and when it does these snow shoveling tips will help you clean up from it.

Snow shoveling isn't fun, but it's often unavoidable. Many homeowners opt to schedule a snow shoveling service or use larger equipment like a snowblower to get the job done. Although, even in those cases there can be some places left to shovel. Learning how to shovel snow safely is important. Many injuries and accidents happen because of shoveling snow. For those that do not hire someone for snow cleanup, here are six tips on how to make shoveling snow easier.

6 Snow Shoveling Tips for Homeowners

If you have to shovel snow at your residence, then hopefully these snow shoveling tips help to make it go a little easier. Some are related to how to shovel snow safely while others relate to how to make shoveling snow easier. Regardless, put a few of these to work during the next snowstorm and let us know how you make out.

• Shovel half at a time – For shoveling more than 8-inches at a time, do not try to shovel it all at once. Shovel part off the top then scoop up the remaining snow in a second pass. It may seem like double the work but it is much safer to shovel twice than hurting yourself shoveling too much snow at once.
• Prep your shovel – How frustrating is it when you go to throw snow off your shovel and it just sticks? To avoid this, prep your shovel with wax or cooking spray to allow all types of snow to slide off.
• Start with a path – Start by shoveling a path or two. This gives you a place to walk so you won't compact the snow, which makes it harder to shovel later.
• Stop before the road – Wait until the storm is over and the roads are clear before shoveling your driveway right up to the road. If you don't, plow trucks will keep pushing snow and slush back over what you already shoveled. Save this area until you are ready to leave or until after the storm.

Snow Shoveling Tips to Keep Your Landscaping Healthy

We have already unveiled 4 of the 6 snow shoveling tips. The last two relate to helping your lawn and landscaping remain healthy and create less spring lawn repair work for you after winter.

• Be careful where you pile snow – Snow is laced with salt, chemicals, oils, and other substances from your driveway and the street. All of which are harmful to your lawn and landscaping plants. Be deliberate on where you pile snow while shoveling to minimize the damages from these substances.
• Shovel out (and not in) your plants – Plants, particularly shrubs and hedges, are vulnerable to damage during winter. Heavy, wet snow can break off limbs if not carefully removed. In addition, shoveling out sidewalks can cause us to throw additional snow on these same plants. First, carefully remove large amounts of snow on your plants around your house. Second, be careful not to toss shoveled snow back onto you trees and shrubs particularly when shoveling snow at night when it can be harder to see.

PRO SNOW SHOVELING TIP

Using salt on concrete sidewalks, steps, and driveways can cause lasting damage. It is best to shovel instead or use a small amount of sand to provide traction when concrete surfaces are icy.

Winter can not be avoided in Pennsylvania. At some point, a significant snowstorm will show up and one way or another snow removal will have to commence. You can either call a snow shoveling service or use these snow shoveling tips to help dig yourself out.