Middlesex Ice Control is central Connecticut’s number one spot for snow and ice control products. We sell both liquid and granular ice melt. Our product Magic Salt is a best seller because it is eco, pet, and plant-friendly. You can learn more about it here. Besides selling ice melt to local homeowners, we also sell to contractors who service larger businesses such as schools and hospitals. These customers are very skilled at what they do and have shared some tips for parking lot snow and ice maintenance.
Read on to learn some tips on parking lot snow and ice maintenance.
Salt and clear the high traffic areas in the parking lot first.
When planning out your pretreatment and snow removal plan for a parking lot, you’ll want to concentrate on the areas that have the highest traffic first. This is especially true if you have snow that is falling on and off. In situations like this, you will not be able to keep the lot snow-free at all times so you will need to prioritize.
Many of our clients are contractors at facilities such as hospitals, municipal buildings, and retail stores. The high traffic areas at these locations often include the main entrance, the primary parking space access routes, and the pathway to the front door. Keeping these locations will make it easier for people to park their vehicles and access the building on foot.
Don’t block the parking lot routes while clearing the snow.
Once you have figured out where the high traffic areas are in the parking lot, the next challenge is to clear them without obstructing them. This is very important at locations such as hospitals where someone’s life may depend on access to the building. Clearing large amounts of snow will create large piles. To avoid these piles blocking routes, plan out where these will go ahead of time. Many businesses allocate a location where extra piles of snow can be stored so that it does not get in the way of customers. If you are unclear where you should place the snow, clarify it with the building’s management team.
Don’t block catch basins and drains.
If it is possible, you should avoid piling snow on top of catch basins and drains. Larger mounds of snow can prevent rainfall and melting snow from draining away from the building’s parking lot. This creates a slip and fall hazard from ice and water that freezes and thaws can actually damage the drain and basin grille. Some of our customers have reported that their clients will spray the basins with brightly colored paint so they are easier to see and avoid when plowing.