Removing snow at a business or commercial property is a race against time, which is why efficient snow removal is a huge priority for property owners. It’s vital to keep everyone on your property safe, while also ensuring that they can come and go freely so that revenue keeps flowing. Snow removal needs to be as quick and efficient as possible in order to keep your business running smoothly and to minimize the risk of injuries or accidents.
Here are 5 tips that will help to maximize efficiency when dealing with snow and ice on your business or commercial property:
5 Ways to Effectively Remove Snow
Be Proactive
The easiest way to keep snow off your property is to make it more difficult for snow to accumulate in the first place. Pre-treating surfaces with ice melt materials before it snows will help prevent snow and ice from building up on them. Oftentimes, anti-icing can keep snow from building up on surfaces at all; during heavier snowfalls, it can also turn what would be a few inches of snow accumulation into a thin layer of slush that is much easier to remove. You can also cover certain objects or landscape features with tarps or other coverings before it snows; simply pull the tarp off after the snow has stopped and your items will be snow-free.
Preparing for snow beforehand makes it much easier to remove afterward.
Memorize Your Property’s Layout
Creating a mental map of your property’s layout – and any potential obstacles or hazards – will help make snow removal much faster. It will help to develop the most efficient route for plowing parking lots while avoiding landscape features and other hazards. Nothing can put a halt to a snow plow at work quite like striking a parking stop, clipping a curb, or hitting something else that may be hiding under the snow. This could possibly lead to thousands of dollars of property damage or damaged equipment.
Knowing the layout of your property can help to develop the most efficient routes for snow plowing and clearing sidewalks.
Choose the Right Equipment for the Job
When it comes to snow removal, using the largest snow plow doesn’t always mean you’ll get the job done faster. In fact, not using the right equipment can cause a whole heap of problems. Parking lots can generally be cleared efficiently using a truck or small tractor with an angled plow, but any sidewalks, ramps, and stairs on your property may require different equipment to tackle them effectively. Using the wrong equipment can take more time than necessary and even lead to property or landscape damage.
Angled plows, skid steers, snow broom attachments, even man-pushed salt spreaders – your property’s layout and features will determine the best equipment to use.
Use De-Icing Materials More Effectively
One of the biggest costs associated with snow removal is de-icing materials. Ice melt can be very expensive, especially when it’s in high demand (like right before a big snowstorm). A big reason why many people spend so much on ice melt materials is that they’re not spread effectively, which often leads to people using more than they should during/after a snow storm.
An easy way to use ice melt materials more efficiently is to apply them before it snows, which will help to prevent both snow from accumulating on surfaces and any water left on these surfaces from turning to ice. Using a manual spreader or even powered spreaders – generally installed on the back of a truck or skid steer – will apply these materials more evenly than using a cup to spread them by hand.
Maximize the cost effectiveness of de-icing materials by laying them down evenly before bad weather starts.
Utilize Efficient Plowing Techniques
Snow plowing is a little more complex than just straight pushing snow from one area to another. Using the right techniques will make plowing as efficient as possible, making sure that your property is cleared quickly and safely.
Angled plowing is definitely the most effective technique for clearing snow because it keeps moving snow closer to the edge of a lot during clearing. Angled plowing allows you to plow in both directions by simply angling the plow in the opposite direction on each pass. This eliminates the need to back up the vehicle all the way to the other side of the lot in order to start another pass, which saves a ton of time. This video by SnowWolf illustrates just how efficient angled plowing can be compared to straight pushing.
Back dragging is another important plowing technique for clearing up against building walls and around other obstacles. By lifting the plow up and getting as close to the wall/obstacle as you can, you can then lower the plow and drag it backwards to pull the snow away.
The right plowing techniques can cut plow times drastically, making your property safer, faster.
Looking for Efficient Snow Removal Services for Your Business or Commercial Property?
For over 25 years, Snow Management Services has been the preferred snow removal contractor for hundreds of commercial properties in the Denver area. It all starts with winter property planning, taking the time to identify the most efficient way to keep your property clear and highlighting any possible trouble areas. Quick snow removal and de-icing are critical so that parking lots and sidewalks are clear in order to prevent winter accidents or injuries. Our team is committed to rapid response times during even the roughest winter weather. We can even haul snow off-site to keep your property presentable.
To see how SMS can help your Denver-area business or commercial property, give us a call today at (303) 750-8867 or get in touch with us online to get started.