How to Shovel Snow

• Choose a shovel that matches your strength. You can choose from a heavy steel shovel or a light plastic shovel.
• Choose a shovel with a handle length that matches your height for better leverage. A tall person will want a longer handle, while a shorter person will do better with a shorter handle. Be sure to try a shovel with cushioned-grip handles for added comfort.
• Select a handle that’s comfortable to hold, making sure that the size is not too big or small for you to easily grip.
• The larger a shovel’s blade is, the more snow it’ll pick up with each scoop. Snow can be quite heavy, so choose a shovel blade that allows you to scoop snow without straining.
• If you don’t have a garage or carport, you’ll have to remove the snow from your car as well. Use an ice scraper with a brush or a snow broom to avoid scratching your car’s finish.

• Wear water-resistant shoes or boots with traction to help keep you from slipping.
• Wear the right gloves. The best gloves for shoveling snow are designed to keep your hands warm and dry. They shouldn’t be too bulky, and the palms should make it easy for you to grip the handle of a snow shovel.
• Dress in layers while you’re working outside in the cold, starting with a good base layer. As you shovel, you’ll become warm and can remove one or two layers as needed.

Do some stretches to warm up your body before you get started. Shoveling snow can be vigorous exercise, so don’t overexert yourself. Be sure to stop working every 20 or 25 minutes to take a short break and get a drink of water. To help remind yourself of this important safety step, keep a water bottle in sight while you’re working. People normally bundle up when it’s cold outside, which makes it easy to sweat and lose fluids. You can also keep your energy levels up by eating an energy bar or some nuts before and during your shoveling.

Begin your shoveling early and go out a few times rather than all at once. This strategy will naturally put breaks in your schedule.

it can be tempting to stay warm by the fire while the snow falls outside. But when there’s heavy snowfall, try to go outside a few times over the course of the storm. It’s easier to clear 6 inches of snow three times rather than 18 inches of snow in one go. The snow could get packed down or iced over if you wait too long, making shoveling it more difficult.

When you’re finished shoveling, consider spreading rock salt or ice melt with a garden spreader or ice melt spreader. These tools makes spreading rock salt or ice melt easier and disperses the product more evenly.

Start with a small amount of salt and add more later if needed. You can collect any salt or ice melt that’s left on the sidewalk or driveway and store it in a marked storage bin in the garage so you can reuse it during the next snow. Any salt that you don’t take care of may leach into nearby water sources and cause environmental issues.

Wear safety gloves to protect your skin when working with ice melt or rock salt as well as appropriate footwear to help prevent sliding on wet or slick patches of ground. You may need to treat some surfaces multiple times.