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Snow Is Sticking To The Shovel– What Can One Do?

The harsh Stouffville winter is upon us. For the next couple of months, we can expect some nasty storms, some harsh winds and most of all, we can expect some snow. Snow, wether it be light or packed, wether it be firm or slush, wether it be frozen over or delicately placed upon the ground, we can expect it all nonetheless. And the proverbial sword of Damocles that hangs above the head of every homeowner, gardener and landscaper who has to face the terrible winter is the sword of snow removal.

Yes, snow removal from ones property is probably one of the worst parts of winter. Unlike chores in the spring and summer, it’s a chore that leaves one wet, one tired, but most of all it leaves one freezing. Not only that, but it comes with its own particular set of problems that can really mess with the day of the average homeowner, gardener or landscaper.

For one, snow tends to be wet. And the wetter one gets in the winter, the colder they become. That can lead to sickness, which can lead to loss of work. Snow also tends to be heavy, which yes might mean that one may be getting a decent workout while they remove snow, but it could also mean that one could get hurt during this chore.

But one of the most specific issues that comes with snow shovelling is snow sticking to the shovel itself. When snow sticks to a snow shovel, it can be incredibly frustrating during a time where those doing the chore are already pretty darn frustrated. Unlike the weight and wetness of snow however, this is an issue for which we can offer a solution.

This article is going to be based around what to do when snow gets stuck ones shovel. It should help all those that have to deal with snow removal, at least a little bit.

So… what does one do when snow sticks to their shovel?

There is an answer to this question that is not at all delicate. The tough guy answer to this question is to brute force ones way through the snow being stuck to a shovel.

Smacking, shaking, scraping, kicking, slamming- all these methods, if done hard enough, will get the snow off of ones shovel. This method has its upsides, yes, but it also sure does have a lot of downsides.

But let’s begin with the upsides. For one, it doesn’t cost the average gardener, homeowner or landscaper a dime to use brute force to get snow off of their snow shovel. It’s a free (albeit not all that efficient) way to make sure that the shovel is clean… at least for the time being. The snow is going to continue to stick however, so in between each push of the shovel one is going to have to do one of the aforementioned moves in order to get it off.

The brute force method also tends to be pretty physically taxing, which can be a good thing should one want it to be. It can be a great workout having to constantly lift and smash around ones shovel, as snow can be pretty heavy (especially if it has accumulated on ones shovel). However, constantly doing this can lead to injury, which is one of this methods downsides. Picking up that heavy snow the wrong way could mean something is pulled, twisted or even broken.

The worst possible thing that could happen besides injury is that the shovel breaks, which could spell disaster especially if one is in the middle of a nasty snowstorm. Hence us saying during the “free” paragraph that using brute force would be free for the time being. Too much force could mean a broken shovel, which would mean one would have to go out and buy a new one.

Yes, while the brute force method is for the lazy, the better option would be to go with a more delicate solution.

But what about the delicate answer to this question? What about those who do not want to brute force their way through the winter? Heck, what about those who don’t have the capacity to brute force their way through the winter- for example those who are injured or sick?

There are many different answers to this question, but they all belong to the same category. This category is lubricant. It may seem kind of obvious after one has heard the answer, but the way to keep snow from sticking to a shovel is to make sure that said shovel is nice and slippery. In other words, the way to make something not sticky is to make the surface of that thing as slick as possible.

So what kind of lubricants can one use to ensure that snow does not stick to their shovels? Well, many different ones, such as:

  • Cooking spray. Sprays like PAM work great to make sure that ones shovel is slick. Every time one has to go out to remove the snow, just treat the shovel like a pan- spray that baby up and watch the snow just slide off!

  • Petroleum Jelly. This may not be something that everyone has lying around the house, but it is one of the most elegant solutions to the problem of snow sticking to a shovel. The face and the back of the scoop part of the shovel (I.e. the part that’s going to be picking up the snow) should be covered with jelly. The beat part about this solution is that it tends to keep the shovel nice and slick for the next couple of snow removal sessions. How does one know when it’s time to add more jelly? When the snow starts to stick again, of course!

  • WD-40. Hank Hill would be proud of anyone who decides to use this multipurpose lubricant. WD-40 (or other lubricants of the same type) works a lot like cooking spray in this instance. Spray the shovel with it whenever one intends to remove snow from their property.

  • Vegetable Oil. This is definitely something everyone has lying around their house, and it can be great for preventing snow from building up along the shovel. Just use a cloth to apply the vegetable oil along the scoop of the shovel and voila! The snow should just slide right off. This is another method that should be done each time one goes out to remove snow from their property.

And so, this article about removing snow from a shovel has come to an end. Now, snow removal should be a breeze!

The Sunready Landscaping team is ready to help you create extraordinary outcomes. Proudly serving the Greater Toronto Area from our home base in Stouffville since 2016.

Contact Sunready Landscaping for your free quote today. Call us at: 647-779-5798 or send us an inquiry via our contact form.

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