How To Avoid The ‘Second Shovel’ In Illinois This Winter

If you agree that the worst part of shoveling your driveway is having to go back out to clear the mess the snowplow left behind, try this trick next time it snows!

Illinois Snow Shoveling Tips

I must admit that my husband is usually the one who does the clearing of our driveway after a snowstorm. but when he's working and it snows, I'm the one that has to fire up the snow blower. While the job may not be too bad with the assistance of a snowblower, dealing with the ice and snow chunks at the end of the driveway is an entirely different story.

Nothing is more frustrating than spending time clearing your driveway to then have the plow truck come through a few minutes later mucking it up again. Not only does it suck to have to shovel that area again, but the big piles left behind are often quite hard to move!

I'm in no way blaming the plow drivers for doing what they need to do, but I've often wondered if there was a way to make the end-of-the-driveway mess a little easier to deal with. Turns out, there is!

The City of Rockford posted this tip on Facebook a while back, and maybe I'm just way inexperienced when it comes to shoveling, but seeing it was an "ah-ha" moment for me...

Using this technique will help reduce the piles of snow left at the end of your driveway, but it will probably not eliminate them completely. Here are some shoveling safety tips that will help you get the job done without causing a lot of wear and tear on your body:

• Warm up your muscles with light exercises and stretching before you start shoveling.
• Try to push the snow with your shovel instead of lifting it.
• Make sure your shovel is the correct height for you and don't lift massive amounts of snow in each load.
• Lift with your legs instead of your back and try not to twist when throwing the snow.

Do you shovel like this already, or is the "second shovel" tip news to you as well? If you have tried this shoveling trick before, does it truly help reduce the icy piles? Sore backs and inexperienced shovelers all across Illinois would like to hear your thoughts!

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