Getting Ready to Shovel Snow? Do This First to Make It Easier

A winter storm is coming, so you've dragged the snow shovels from wherever they've been hiding since last March, stocked up at the grocery store, and filled your car's gas tank.

Is there anything else you can do to prepare?

Life will be a lot less miserable if you handle a few things outside your home before the snow starts falling. That means removing leaves and debris from driveways and walkways—and the sidewalk on your property if you're required to clear it—and pretreating those surfaces to make snow removal easier later.

Here's how to prep your pavement for a snowstorm and what to watch for while you're doing it.

Know What You're Working With

Deicers are chemicals that lower the freezing point of water. Anti-icing is pretreating surfaces with deicers before snowfalls. Deicing is applying them after the fact to help remove ice and snow.

A bunch of anti-icing products are available. Most contain some amount of sodium chloride—salt—but others, like calcium magnesium acetate, don't.

Here's the catch with chlorides: they don't break down over time, so they wash into freshwater rivers and lakes and make them saltier and more toxic, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. The agency has asked residents to limit chloride use to only what's actually needed.

Check labels when you're buying deicers. Claimed temperatures can vary by brand and application.

Apply Before It Snows

Deploy the deicer before the snow falls and temperatures start dropping. This "anti-icing" helps prevent ice from bonding to pavement surfaces. Shoveling will be easier later, and you won't need to use as much deicer.

General rules for applying deicers:

• Rock salt: Spread it shortly before or as snow starts falling.

• CMA: Use a liquid form and spray on one to two hours before precipitation and as much as 24 hours in dry conditions. Use granules when it starts snowing.

• Ice melt: Apply ice melting compounds one to two hours before precipitation and as much as 24 hours in dry conditions.

Don't pretreat if rain is expected before the snow shows up. Wait until after it stops raining. Whatever you're using, spread it thinly and uniformly across the pavement.

Consider Brine

Brine is a deicing mixture of water and about 23% sodium chloride that gets sprayed on pavement before a winter event. It lowers the freezing point of water and creates a thin film that prevents ice from bonding to the pavement surface.

It's considered more effective than granular products and is commonly used by road crews on streets before snowfalls. It's commercially available to homeowners.

A handheld sprayer works well for applying a thin layer of brine on pavement. You want a thin coating—no puddles.

Watch Out for Your Pets

Rock salt and other compounds can be "harsh on dog paws, cause irritation, and if ingested, can cause dangerously high sodium levels," according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The compounds can also cause gastrointestinal problems.

Pet-friendly deicers can contain urea or magnesium chloride, which are safer than other chemicals but can still cause stomach problems, the ASPCA says.

Alternatives that won't harm pets include sand for traction or clay cat litter, which absorbs moisture. Heated mats are also effective but can get expensive.

Don't Wreck Your Concrete

Melted ice from chemical deicers creates water that saturates concrete surfaces. When the temperature drops again, another freeze-and-thaw cycle begins that can cause the surface to flake or scale.

To help avoid damage, shovel frequently and cut back on deicer applications.

The bottom line? A little prep work before the snow hits will save you a lot of back-breaking effort later. Remove debris, pretreat your surfaces, and go easy on the salt. Your driveway, your back, and your dog will all thank you.

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