Snow Removal & Ice Control Services

If you choose to do your own snow removal and ice control, you’ll probably need to get some form of road salt or ice melt product. For snow removal, you’ll want either a standard snow shovel or a snow blower if your driveway is particularly long. In Pacific Northwest, lots of driveways happen to be on slopes, hills or mountainous areas. In these cases, a good snow blower is a smart investment, but our Jim’s family comes equipped with the right equipment to do the job for you if that pesky slope is too daunting.

For ice control, you’ll want to find a salt or ice melt product. All ice melt products, whether the base is sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, or calcium chloride, are types of salts which can cause damage. Certain salts can be harmful to pets and hurt their paws, some salts can kill the roots of your plants, and some salts can sink into the pavement causing it to crack or decay. When the snow and ice melts, salt water runoff gets into our water supply and can increase the salt levels in our local rivers and bodies of water.

In Pacific Northwest, our salmon population is notably affected by salt water runoff. While many ice melt products will advertise being safe for pets or the environment, it’s important to note that these claims aren’t always true and a pet safe ice melt can still cause your pets paws to hurt, or the ice melt might only be environmentally safe for a short period of time. This is why other safety measures for your pets, like a cleaning station at the door, and using the right amount of salt is important when doing ice control.

The biggest thing to keep in mind when applying your own ice melt product is that you should only use what you need. Too commonly, here in Pacific Northwest, do we see residents and businesses laying down a thick layer of salt. Your walkways should not feel like you are walking over a rock bed by the time you are done with it, nor should the salt completely cover your walkway. A thin, light layer to start, followed by another application later will give you the best ice control results if you’re doing it by yourself. Let the salt do its job before over-applying. You can always apply more if need be, but applying too much will cause damage.

Snow removal can take up a lot of time, especially during those heavy, week long snow falls. Most municipalities will give out fines to home and business owners who do not keep on top of snow removal and ice control. Here in Pacific Northwest, we have active franchises throughout the winter who are ready to help you get your snow removal and ice control dealt with before it becomes a problem. Our Jim’s family is versatile and can help with all sizes of pathways and walkways. With our collective expertise, we know how to deliver efficient snow removal and expert ice melt application to ensure that your paths are consistently safe, clear, and ready for you to start your day without fear of ending up on your bottom. If you prefer the warmth of your home after a busy work day, then kick your feet up, grab your phone, and let our Wow Mowing family here in Pacific Northwest keep you cozied up inside.