When winter approaches it is time to start clearing the driveway and walkways with snow shovels. There are many methods for clearing snow from unwanted snow. Why? Because if you allow even a meager snowfall to rest upon your walkways or driveways, uninterrupted, it will eventually melt and refreeze creating a sheet of ice that we all know leads to hazards. In addition, you have to make sure you can safely walk to and from your door to your car, and back. If you leave the snow, you won’t be able to get to work and your kids will have an excuse to skip school.
Snow shovels are the most basic tool used to remove snow. They are the first priority when it comes to getting rid of all snowfall completely. The first step is safety. You want to make sure that before you head outdoors to tackle the pesky snow that you stretch. The last thing you want is to pull a muscle when you first start. After you have stretched, dress in layers. No matter who hot you get after all is said and done, you don’t want to head outside without the basic hat and gloves, leaving yourself susceptible to a cold, or worse. After this, wax the shovel blade. The purpose of waxing the shovel blade is to make it slippery, that way it doesn’t act as a magnet for the snow. You can wax is with car wax, floor wax candle wax, or even some generic Pam spray from your kitchen.
As you begin using your snow shovels, make sure that you bend from your knees and you use your legs to lift, not your back. You can reduce the amount of back sprain you endure by keep the blade of the shovel close to you as you lift the snow. Make sure to take frequent breaks so you don’t wear yourself out, and when you resume shoveling, switch sides so that you shovel from both the left and right side. Also change your grip from palm under the bar to palm over the bar whenever you change sides. If the snowfall was particularly heavy, it is best to skim the top about six inches and then scoop the remainder from the bottom, rather than trying to get it all with one scoop. This can lead to physical strain.
You should clear a path from your car door to the house first that way you can leave your car on and defrost the windows while you clear the rest of the snow. This will subsequently warm the inside of your car for you too. You also avoid trampling down the snow over and over by clearing a walking path first. The more you walk across the snow, the harder it compacts and the more difficult it will be to clear.
Remember that you want to move the snow a significant distance from your driveway with each scoop. The last thing you should do while using a snow shovel is make piles just a few feet away which will inevitably fall back onto your driveway