Keeping your driveway snow-free is all about making the minimum effort with whichever resources you have at hand.
Yes, you need to shove the thick ice off with a shovel daily. But besides this, you may also need to apply some household or commercial hacks to eliminate this white hazard.
In this article; we’re going to share with you eight practical tips to keep your driveway snow free. These tips might help you keep your driveway clean and safe for use at any time, including children, elders, and pets.
So, without any further ado, let’s get your hands on those effective snow removal tips.
- Use a Snowblower
Using a cutting-edge snowblower can make your ice removal a breeze. Heavy-duty snowblowers are nowadays available with powerful engines, wide clearing paths, and far-reaching snow-blowing capacities.
Among those high-end snowblowers, ariens deluxe 28 sho, is one of the best on the market, offering efficient ice removal performance this winter and years to come.
If the winter is hitting your driveway hard, covering mostly with thick and wet snow, using a snowblower is the best way to get rid of it.
Remember, it’s not that you have to deal with snowfall only once during winter. It will keep coming back throughout the season.
Hence, arranging a good snowblower to keep your driveway clean whenever the snow level rises above a manageable level is wise.
- Apply Rock Salt
One of the most typical and cheapest ways to remove snow from your driveway is to use rock salt. Rock salt works as a de-icer, which helps probe the thick ice and make a way out of it.
However, rock salt has its downsides apart from its melting capacity. It can corrode your vehicles and sometimes damage your driveway.
Also, once the salt is washed away with time, the melted water can refreeze, making you work on the ice all over again.
Moreover, rock salt only works best above five degrees Fahrenheit. So, if you’re living in an area where the temperature regularly falls below zero, the chances of removing ice with rock salt get thinner.
Also Read: Healthy Lawn Maintenance Checklist for the Winter Season
- Manage the Driveway Snowfall
If you start early, you can manage the heavy snowfall later in the season while saving your driveway from hazards. You might snicker at your neighbors, watching them shovel the small snow every day from their pavement and driveway.
But that’s the smartest way to keep snow from accumulating in your yard, roof, or driveway. If you aren’t doing the same, bad days are ahead. Letting the snow pile up for weeks will lead you to remove mounds of ice at a time, which can be arduous, time-consuming, and costly.
So, use a small to medium-sized hand shovel and scoop off the small amount of snow that accumulates daily. This little daily effort will save you hectic hard work eventually.
- Apply a Snow Melter
Another amazing snow melter you can use besides rock salt is magnesium chloride. This is a great substance to fight snow mounds more quickly.
It can get you the desired result within half the time of what rock salt would take to melt the snow. Usually, this snow melter is used in removing heavy traffic snow to make way for vehicles.
However, when it comes to snow removal at home, not everyone likes to avail of magnesium chloride since it’s more expensive than rock salt. But considering the benefits and efficiency, paying a little more for this beautiful product is worth it.
Furthermore, using magnesium chloride doesn’t pose any threat to your playful furry friends at home, like dogs and cats.
- Wear the Right Attire
Putting on the right clothes before getting your hands on the messy snow in your driveway is standard practice. It’s not any silly formality, neither are you doing it to show off your big task to the neighbors.
Wearing warm clothes in layers during winter is mandatory, whit ich is true when removing snow. You can always take off the layer on top if the temperature rises one after another.
But if you want to show heroics and start shoveling the backyard or driveway snow wearing a single-layer dress, chances are that you’ll end up doing half the work and give up the task for the day due to the bone-chilling cold outside.
Besides thick and layered clothes, a good pair of gloves is compulsory, so your hands don’t frequently freeze and stop your shoveling, snow blowing, or scooping of the snow.
- Use the Right Tools for the Job
It’s not just about choosing the best tool for snow removal, but knowing when to use it. Using a tool at the wrong time and place will only waste your time while getting you a very little result.
For instance, you shouldn’t use a small or medium traditional shovel to scoop and remove thick and large snow mounds in the driveway. It may not only break the shovel in the process, but you might also injure yourself too.
But if you use an electric snowblower for this job, removing the snowfall will be much easier and more time-efficient for you.
- Opting for an Anti-Strain Shovel
Shoveling or scooping heavy and hard snow from the driveway isn’t fun at all. Constant working with the cold ice can surely break your back at the end of the day, making you slouch for the rest of the week. This is not going to help at all while leaving your driveway immersed under the powdery white like it was never there in the first place.
But if you want to act smart, start early in the morning and use an anti-strain shovel. This type of shovel comes with an extra hand and a small spring-loaded handle on top of the regular one.
This makes the shoveling work much easier without putting much stress on your backbone and muscles. Besides, the loads of ice you can break free with this amazing tool are unmatched.
- A Scooper May Work Nicely
If you live nearby the mountain areas, your place and neighborhood might be the snowiest. And this is where a nice scooper can come in handy.
One of the most convincing things about a scooper is that you don’t need to bend over to remove snow from the concrete pavement or driveway. The long and wide railing handle gives you a superb balance to hold it and push through the snow pile.
Besides, this tool’s wide scooping path (about 20 to 24 inches) can carry loads of snow from hard surfaces, getting the tracks rid of the white mess almost effortlessly.
It’s great to have such an excellent and useful tool during winter. But if you’re looking for a new one, make sure you buy one made of galvanized steel with a reinforced sharp edge for easily cutting through the hard and thick ice.
Effective Preventive Measures to Keep Your Driveway Free from Snow
Keeping your driveway free from snow can be much easier if you follow some preventive measures. Keeping some preventive measures is mandatory in your maintenance checklist for the winter season.
Sometimes, arranging a snowblower or a scooper can be counterproductive and costly. Unfortunately, if you don’t have any tools at home, the heavy snowfall can create a road barrier, impeding your daily commute and movements altogether.
So, gear yourself with the following preventive measures to keep your driveway clean and usable even when the snowfall is at its peak:
- Set a Heating Mat: You can lay a heating mat or two depending on their sizes and the area you need to cover in your driveway. All you need to do is plug and relax, waiting to watch the snow buildup melting away by 2-3 inches as each hour passes.
- Use Gravel and Sand: Using gravel and sand can be a practical method of keeping the driveway walkable during heavy snowfall. These materials can create the appropriate friction, making the ice melt away that comes in contact with them. However, you must keep in mind that the thawing process might leave messy ice molds, eventually clogging the driveway.
- Shovel Every 2-3 Days: There’s no denying putting some effort into shoveling the driveway and pavement daily or weekly when it’s winter. Don’t wait too long before your yard, driveway, etc., get drowned under snow. Instead, try to make some time every 2-3 days and spoon out whatever ice has already piled up.
Conclusion
No matter how expensive tools you put together at home, snow will keep covering your walkways, driveways, yards, etc., as long as the winter runs in your location. However, if you’re a little hard-working and intelligent, things might look brighter rather than gloomy and a complete ‘white out.’
Make sure you keep shoveling your driveway regularly to keep it usable on a daily basis for your family members. Otherwise, your daily commute to work, school, shops, etc., will be hindered and even stopped.