How to Remove Snow from the Driveway without a Shovel?
How many times did it happen to you that you wake up one morning and everything is covered in snow? It looks wonderful and it is a winter fairytale but you didn’t buy a shovel for this season. Or you are in the middle of removing snow your shovel breaks. Also, most people find removing snow with the shovel exhausting and time-consuming. What is a solution? There are many ways to remove snow without a shovel that we will cover today. Some of those are smart fast ways for you to remove it and some are smart solutions that work even when you’re not there.
So let’s take a look at what you can do when you don’t have or don’t want to use a shovel.
Pouring Hot Water on Snow
This method is most efficient when used prior to snow bulking up. If you start right away when the snow starts falling, this method will work great. What you need to do is connect the sprayer hose to the water spigot in your house. This will prevent snow from bulking up and control its volume. The downside is that ice can form from all poured water but there’s a solution to that too. Just top watered snow with sand and you will avoid ice forming.
Surfacing With a De-Icer
De-Icer products are working best in areas with less snow. If you live in a place where the show falls 10 inches a day, this solution will not help as much for the areas with less than 8 inches of snow a day. De-Icer is sold by many brands and is very affordable. The main purpose of this product is prevention. If you prepare surfaces with de-icer in time you will maximize your results. De-icer products prevent ice build-up as well as snow bulking. You can boost the effects of the de-icer by mixing it with sand before placing it.
Make sure that you read the label on the product because the de-icers are toxic to the environment and have a bad effect on your soil and other driveway or yard surfaces. The best choice is a Magnesium chloride de-icer since it releases 40% less chloride.
Lay down a tarp
You can probably imagine how this goes. It may look silly, but you are not gonna feel silly when you clean your driveway with one move of the hand. Especially when you have to go to work and don’t have endless hours at your disposal. Before snowfall, lay down a tarp and once you need a clear driveway or pathway just pull it from there, and who-la-la there you have it. You can purchase your tarp in almost every hardware store and if you can’t find it, check the camping section.
If you didn’t place your tart in time, you can place it on top of the snow to prevent more bulking. If you can handle the weight of the snow, this will be your favorite fast solution. Don’t let your neighbors be jealous that they didn’t think of this. Be a good neighbor and share this hack with them.
Snow Melting Mats
Melting mats are heated mats with the ability to melt snow about 2 inches per hour. It can really help to stop snow from bulking. Industrial-grade mats are the best choice, especially if you live in an area with a lot of snow.
Hated melting mats do the job for you so you can go to work, hang out with friends of the family, and clean the driveway will be waiting for you when you come back.
Snowplow
This is one of the riskier methods since you can really damage your driveway or sideway. It’s always better to call professionals when you have a big driveway and want to use a snowplow. If you decide to do it on your own make sure that you leave enough space between the blade and the ground. Not doing so can really damage your plow or the used vehicle. If you can, use a V-shaped plow blade.
Rake
Rake is a tool to help you get rid of big chunks of snow but needs to be used with other tools. The rack will remove snow bulks but you need something to move that snow elsewhere. Also, be very careful not to damage your driveway. It’s easy to rake gravel and rocks while trying to remove snow, so be sure to pay extra attention when using a rake.
DIY Alcohol Solution
Not as effective but can help is DIY alcohol solution. All you need to do is mix 1 gallon of hot water, a teaspoon of dish soap, and ½ of rubbing alcohol. Just pour the mixture on the snow and watch how it starts to bubble. Alcohol will help to slow down refreezing.
Sweep it
Not so much different than a shovel, sweeping the snow can be as boring. Broom helps only with thin, light layers of snow. If snow is frozen, it will help only with a top layer. Not so helpful, but it is an option if you don’t have anything else to get rid of snow.
Use a Leaf Blower
Leaf Blower can also be useful on thin layers of snow up to 1 inch. If snow is not already iced and thick it might work even up to 4 inches. As a first aid leaf blower can do the work, other methods are more efficient when it comes to bigger bulks of snow.
Snowblower
The best way to get rid of the snow fast and easily is a snowblower. If used properly, this can be a very good solution for your daily snow removal. Just follow basic safety guidelines like adjusting the auger properly which ensures gravel from getting into the blower or flying out at a high speed. The adjustable auger will save you lots of time, nerves, and hassle.
Hopefully, the tips and advice provided above will be of use to you. For even more insight into the world of snow blowers, we’ve designed this handy buying guide which includes everything you need to know to make the right choice: https://www.backyardstyle.com/best-electric-snow-blower/.
