If there’s one thing homeowners unanimously hate, it’s shoveling their residential driveways. Though many people have sagaciously invested in snow blowers, some don’t really have residential driveways big enough to warrant such an investment, while others simply don’t see the point of investing in one when they’re more than healthy enough to shovel.
No matter how homeowners get rid of the snow covering their residential driveways, though, there’s no doubt that they’d like to get the job done in the fastest way possible. Here are a few tips homeowners can use to shovel their residential driveways as fast as possible!
Get the Right Types of Shovels
Homeowners who need to shovel snow should use snow shovels — not those regular, metal spade ones used for dirt. It sounds kind of obvious, but many first time homeowners who aren’t used to clearing residential driveways, or who have only just moved to an area with snow for the first time, wouldn’t know that there even is such a thing as a snow shovel. It’s best to not only get the standard, flat-and-wide snow shovel, but to get a plow one, too. Each one can sufficiently clear residential driveways on their own, but the former is better at some things than others, and vice versa. More on that in a bit.
Take Care of the Front and Back Walks, Gazebos, Outdoor Patios and Decks, First
The first place homeowners should start shoveling is their back and front walks, their wooden gazebos, and their outdoor decks and patios (if they have them, that is). Taking care of these first makes things easier, since homeowners won’t have to trek through snow every time they go in and out of their houses. Plus, they usually go by fast, and have to be taken care of eventually, so why not just deal with them before residential driveways?
Even if they’re not taken care of first, they still need to be cleared of snow. Homeowners invest about $9,539 on average into their decks. They’re costly home improvements, which is probably why more than 29,000 companies have cashed in on the lucrative industry in the United States. Snow, like any other type of moisture, can cause the wood to crack and split, which means it’ll need costly repairs. This can easily be prevented if it’s shoveled.
Shovel a Straight Line Down the Middle
Rather than just shovel the whole of the drive way to one side, it’s much more efficient to shovel a line straight down the middle of residential driveways, bisecting them in two. This should be done with a plow shovel, which is designed in a way that will make it easy. Then, homeowners should take their plow shovels and push the snow away, traveling down the new path they just made. Once that’s done, residential driveways will be more or less cleared. However, it’s best to take a regular shovel, and then scoop the piles made by the plow off of the residential driveways, which widens the driveway back up.
No one ever likes shoveling, but it’s something that needs to be taken care of. If you have any questions, call our fence company.
Read More:
Maximizing Patio Use in Winter: Heating Solutions and Snow Removal Tips