Snow shoveling is an unavoidable chore, and it can be tempting to simply let the snow sit, especially if you don’t have to leave the house. However, letting the snow pile up can make the task a bigger burden when you finally do shovel that snow.

Instead, we’ve gathered some tips to help you tackle that snow quickly and easily. After decades of professional snow removal -we’ve picked up a thing or two.

Here are some simple snow shoveling tips.

Keep it fresh

If at all possible, shovel the snow when it is fresh and unpacked, and avoid driving or stepping on it if possible. Packed snow can be a nightmare to pick up or shovel away. Snow shovels are designed for just that –snow. Packed snow is going to turn to ice quicker, and makes pushing, lifting, and generally working with the snow much more difficult.

It may not be possible to avoid every footprint, but getting to the snow as soon as possible is going to help make the task much less difficult.

Stay salty

If you expect more snow later on, shoveling now can seem so unrewarding, as that clean driveway will just be covered by snow again soon. On top of that, that driveway is still wet and waiting to freeze over.

Salt is your best friend here. After you shovel, putting down a layer of salt not only helps melt some of the snow as it hits, it can also help prevent ice from forming on the ground. This may help prevent injuries during your next snow plowing session.

Simply put, remembering to salt the driveway or walkway after shoveling may help reduce your work later on and avoid injuries and falls due to ice.

Lubricate

“The squeaky wheel gets the grease,” they say. A shovel may not squeak, but trust us, it needs the grease. Lubricating a shovel in some way helps keep ice from sticking to the shovel and makes any job much simpler.

The best is silicone. Some shovels will already have a silicone or other coating to keep from sticking. However, wax works just as well and can be much cheaper. In a pinch, some people may even reach to petroleum jelly or a cooking spray such as Pam, which can help keep ice from sticking for a short time.

Push first

While groaning and grunting with a snow shovel may make it seem like you are doing a lot of work, it may not be the best way to shovel. The simplest, most efficient way to shovel snow is a two part process.

First, get a push shovel and gently push that layer of snow over to one side of the path. Work from one side of the path to the other, and be careful not to step on the fresh side before shoveling.

Shovel second

With the grand majority of the work done, Use a scoop shovel to create mounds or clean up any bits that were left behind from pushing.

When shoveling, here are a few more tips to keep in mind:

• Bend at the knee, lifting with the legs and not the back
• Keep the shovel head as close to the body as possible while lifting to reduce stress on the back
• Avoid any sharp turns or twists when shoveling
• Lift only what you can shovel; each full shovel should be simple to lift and move
• Switch positions, shovel both right and left handed to reduce stress on any one apart of the body

These tips can greatly reduce the stress on our body, and make all that shoveling a cinch!

Know when to call the pros

Hand shoveling a small driveway or walkway is great, but it is just as important to understand your limitations. For example, 3 inches of snow on a driveway isn’t much. But three inches of an entire commercial parking lot is an entirely different story.

So, know when it is time to hang up the shovel and call the professionals. In the North Bergen County area in New Jersey, Quench Irrigation has been one of the leading ice and snow removal services for decades. We have the equipment and know-how handle any sized commercial properties quickly and efficiently.

 

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