Winter has arrived in Northern Virginia and it looks like it’s going to be an exceptionally cold and snowy season. The cold is nasty and it can kill car batteries and freeze pipes, but if you suffer damage during this season it will most likely come from snow. Specifically, the removal of snow.

Reston-based painting service All American Painting Plus, leading house painters and commercial painting contractors, has over a decade of experience serving homes and businesses in all of Northern Virginia. If they haven’t seen everything, they’ve seen most, including the damage caused by snow and efforts to remove it.

With that in mind, All American offers these ideas to help homeowners and businesses alike to avoid damage to their property stemming from snow removal.

How to Avoid Snow Removal Damage to Your Business

As a business, what kind of damage could you suffer from snow removal? If you have ever used an unqualified snow removal firm, you probably already know the answer. Speed bumps, curbs, and concrete parking slot barriers can all easily become damaged by an inexperienced or inattentive plow driver. Then again, if you get a really heavy snow, a driver just can’t see the boundaries and has to guess.

The key here is preparation.

  •        Don’t wait for the first storm to hit to find a snow removal service. Find a dependable one whose equipment is in good shape and make a deal before the snow flies.
  •        Find out if they are equipped to do snow removal from your roof or if you have to make other arrangements.
  •        Establish an area where the snow will be moved to.
  •        Mark curbs, fire hydrants, and speed bumps that may be covered in a heavy snow.
  •        Have deicer and shovels ready to clear walkways when needed.

Keeping your business accessible to employees and customers is essential. Don’t scrimp when selecting a contractor. Having reliable access to your business will pay for itself.

Avoiding Snow Damage at Home

As a homeowner it is unlikely that you will hire a plow to do your driveway and sidewalks. Your shovel and the paddles on a snow blower can’t rip up concrete like a plow. However, there is one aspect of snow removal that can damage your property even if you don’t notice it until after the thaw.

At some point, either when the snow first starts to fall or after you have shoveled, you’ll put down a deicer. Odds are you’ll use rock salt because that’s what your parents used, you can get it anywhere, and it’s dirt cheap.

But did you know rock salt can corrode cement and asphalt? Did you know it can burn your pet’s paws or that it will kill grass and shrubs that come in contact with it?

Rock salt shouldn’t be your deicer of choice. Try the much more pet and lawn friendly calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, or potassium chloride instead. All three cost a bit more but your lawn won’t end up with dead patches or wilted shrubs and your dog will be happy as well.

Of course, as painting contractors, we would recommend that both homes and businesses make sure their exteriors are protected before the season starts. Caulking, concrete repair, wood repair, and a fresh coat of paint applied by professional exterior painters will go a long way in protecting your structure from the ice and snow of winter.

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