Winter. Here we are Stouffville, going through yet another winter. Take some time to look around, go ahead. Everywhere all we can see is white, perhaps some blue when we look up at the sky (only on certain occasions) but it’s mostly grey. And then, of course, there’s the blackness of it all. Just shades, nothing all that pleasing to the eye, just a bunch of drabness.
But hey, winter isn’t all that bad! There are certain things one can do in the winter they couldn’t do any other time of year. When could one slide down a hill at break neck speeds with two skis attached to one’s feet and one pole in each hand? One could only do such an activity in winter? What of the beautiful serenity of snow shoeing, of walking through the beautiful winter woods with no other sound but snow crunching beneath one’s feet or falling through the trees? One could only do that during the winter? And sure, we have fishing in the summer, but could we walk across the lake? One would need a boat or at least a shore to fish in the summer, but not during the winter!
Yes, winter has a lot of positives and possibilities, that’s for sure. Especially for those in Stouffville, we truly are blessed with a lot to do during this season. However, while we are blessed with a lot to do during the winter, we are also cursed with a lot. With a lot of cold weather, with a lot of ice and of course, we here in Stouffville are no stranger to a lot of snow.
Especially this year – my goodness! How many times has the weather people told us that it’s too dangerous to be driving or even going outside due to the snow? How many times have we squinted out of our windshields due to the sheer amount of snow falling during a drive? And most importantly, how many times this year have we been forced to shovel a driveway, to remove some snow? To participate in that most dreaded of all winter activities- snow removal.
Yes, snow removal. But keep in mind dear Stouffville, no one dislikes snow removal more than the people who have to do it. Once the snow starts to fall we can all hear the collective groans of ever snow removal person as they throw on their salty overalls, pour their hot coffees and ready themselves for a couple of days of being out in the cold, hard snow.
It’s a job that someone certainly has to do, but no one wants to do. There are certain things one may see online that may convince one to try to do snow removal easier, but the cold hard truth is this – everything that has worked for a while now is set in place for a reason. There are a lot of things one shouldn’t do during snow removal, and here are a couple of them. Here’s one thing everyone should do for snow removal – hire a company for it!
What Not To Do During Snow Removal?
1 – Lift With One’s Back
This is something we’ve heard about hard work since we were kids. “Lift with one’s back, not with one’s legs”. And that still applies when it comes to one of the hardest chores in the entirety of winter, snow removal. Especially if one is using a snow shovel (this tip does not apply for this lucky enough to have a plow) not using one’s legs to lift the snow can mean some serious injury.
Remember, being injured means one isn’t going to be able to shovel snow for the rest of the season, and that would mean a lot more injury for everyone else.
2- Use Table Salt
Yes table salt can be effective. Yes, it can be used to clear ice from driveways and pathways. However it takes a lot longer than the rock salt used for snow removal usually, and it provides no traction. Rock salt not only gets rid of the ice on the properties of the average homeowner, landscaper and gardener, but will also provide the traction needed one needs for when they’re moving their cars or themselves around their driveways.
3 – Use Boiling Water To Clear Ice From Vehicles
This is the most important part of this article. If one uses boiling water to clear ice from vehicles, especially the windshield or the windows, those pieces of glass will break. We don’t fully understand the science behind it (perhaps the heat expands the cold glass too quickly causing it to shatter) we just know. Trust us on this one, don’t do it.
What Should One Do During Snow Removal?
There is one thing that’s the best for snow removal. One thing that no one wants to hear, but it’s in the back of the mind of every person who owns property. It’s something that has existed when it comes to snow removal for centuries.
It’s just shovelling. Or using a plow. Just pushing the snow out of the way so that it’s removed from where the people have to be, have to live, have to exist. For ice there’s salt and sand, and that’s about it. The unfortunate truth about snow removal is the best way to do it is to put one’s nose to the grindstone and just do it.
Yes, we know that isn’t what one wants to hear. We wish there was some secret hack for snow removal, and once we find it we’ll be sure to share it with our audience first!
And so, this article about what not to during snow removal has come to an end. We learned a lot about the ins and outs, the dos and don’ts of snow removal, and we learned all about snow removal in general. What should be the main takeaway from this article however is that snow removal should not be a job for just the average homeowner, landscaper or gardener. It’s a job that should be left to professionals!
