You may choose not to use a snow removal service and remove the it yourself.  In this case, as well, Snow Plowing Twin Cities has information that you will find useful.

You may have good reasons for doing your own snow removal. You may be physically fit and want to burn some calories. Your property may have relatively small areas where snow collects. You may have landscaping that requires particular care in the winter time.

You may just enjoy being outdoors, even during a Minnesota winter. Whatever the reason, you will want to be sure to have the right snow removal tools and equipment to safely and effectively clean your driveway and walkways.

Frankly, whether you use a snow removal service or you do it yourself, there is always some finishing work to be done. Based upon your decision, you will need at least some of the tools and materials that are recommended by Snow Plowing Twin Cities.

Essential Snow Removal Tools

You will, certainly, need a good snow shovel. This is the basic tool for winter survival in the Twin Cities. So, what do I mean by a “good” snow shovel?

There is a wide variety of implements that fit the definition of “snow shovel.” By “good”, I mean one that is sturdy enough to handle the job and designed to perform well with the minimum of physical effort.

While I have used shovels made from various type of plastic, I have, yet, to find one that is as durable or performs as well as a snow shovel with a metal blade or scoop. Remember, since you will be lifting it over and over, again, aluminum is lighter than steel.

Besides a shovel, another hand tool that should be included in your winter arsenal is an ice scraper. I have found few shovels that are effective in removing hard packed snow that the city’s plow packed into my driveway. For these situations, an ice scraper or a flat shovel work much better than even a good snow shovel.

When the physical strain becomes too great, there are mechanical means for tackling this job. We hope that you won’t need a machine as large as the one in this video:

What a Wonderful Invention is the Snow Blower!

To clean up after what the weather reporter describes as a “light dusting” (definitely, less than an inch) I have found that a leaf blower works very well. For deeper snow, a snow blower (or snow thrower) will be needed.

Depending on the size that you choose, this machine will pick up snow of nearly any depth and shoot it several yards in any direction that you choose. Snow blowers are either gasoline-powered or electric. There are single stage snow blowers for snowfalls that are light to moderate in depth (2” to 5”), as well as, two stage snow blowers for heavier, deeper snow. These more powerful machines have one engine to drive an auger which lifts snow and feeds it into a separate, high-speed impeller which shoots it out of the machine.

As with any machine, particularly one with moving parts exposed, snow blower safety is an important consideration.

There are many varieties of snow blowers. If doing it yourself is your preference, return to Snow Plowing Twin Cities in the future for our specific recommendations.

Finishing the Job

Once the bulk of the snow has been removed, I recommend that you use a broom to sweep up the remainder from your driveway and sidewalks. It doesn’t take long for winter weather conditions to turn the thin layer of snow, left by your blower or shovel, into a sheet of ice.

There are chemicals that will melt snow and ice. Ordinary table salt (sodium chloride) will lower the temperature at which ice will melt. Other chemicals may be used to melt ice on driveways and sidewalks, but care must be taken to prevent unintended damage to concrete surfaces, metal objects, lawns and shrubbery.

If you take the time to remove that last thin layer, you will be much more satisfied with the result. You may even save yourself a law suit from a guest or visitor who happens to slip on that ice layer and get injured in a fall!

P.S. Remember to bookmark Snow Plowing Twin Cities, so that you can return to find more specific recommendations among the snow removal products that will be featured on this site.

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