When most people think about protecting their property in the winter from all of the snow and ice, they typically think about things like lawns and shrubs and trees. While those things do require some advanced planning and protection, it also pays to protect your low maintenance solutions as well, such as patios, walkways, decks and other hardscaping elements. It pays to hire the best landscaping company in Northern Rhode Island to take care of these details for you, but as a homeowner you should know what it takes to maintain an outdoor living space in Smithfield throughout the year. The more prep work you do in the fall, the less work you’ll need to do in Rhode Island for spring cleaning when the snow and ice finally melt away.
More Than Just the Driveway
While it is important to maintain winter snow removal, such as keeping driveways, sidewalks and front porches clear, there are other hardscaping elements that require care as well. Making sure that everything is clear for safety purposes is important, but stone walls, garden paths, backyard patios, decks, fountains, gazebos and other outdoor living environments need to be protected as well. Snow, ice, dirt, debris, leaves, salt and de-icing chemicals can cause a lot of damage to hardscaping if they are not promptly removed. Homeowners and commercial property owners can combat this by hiring landscaping management companies to provide low maintenance solutions throughout the late fall to early spring.
The danger of using chemicals to keep hardscaping clear of snow and ice is that many of the ingredients used in those chemicals can also cause damage to stone or brick pavers. Salt can be damaging as well. However, there are things you can do before the first snowfall to protect your outdoor living space in Smithfield and the surrounding area. Making smart choices with the chemicals or salt products that you use can make a big difference. Stay away from rock salts, which can really eat away at pavers, concrete and other surfaces. Choose safer alternatives to popular chemicals, which allow you to still keep walkways and driveways clean and clear.
Alternatives for Protecting Outdoor Living Spaces
Some landscaping companies are now recommending the use of kitty litter or sand instead of chemicals to prevent damage to pavers, brick and concrete. Speak with your landscaping service to find out what they recommend for your specific hardscaping materials and other outdoor areas. You also want to be careful what you use near lawns, shrubs, trees and other living landscaping that could be damaged by run-off from chemicals when the snow thaws as you are doing Rhode Island spring cleaning. This is why it is important to hire the best landscaping company in Northern Rhode Island. The peace of mind that comes from knowing that your landscaping and hardscaping are protected is worth the time it takes to find the best service.
More tips for protecting hardscaping spaces include:
- remove as much snow as you can before using a de-icer or other method for removing ice from driveways, sidewalks and walkways
- use ice-removing treatments sparingly, trying not to get them on organic materials, such as grass, trees or shrubs
- as part of Rhode Island spring cleaning, wash down all hardscaping materials, including retaining walls, pathways, sidewalks, driveways, patios, building bases and areas that are near organic materials to help wash the product away
- work with your landscaping company to find low maintenance solutions for removing snow and ice instead of using chemical approaches
- consider sealing hardscaping elements in your outdoor living space in Smithfield to protect it from weather all year-long
Before Winter Arrives
Take time to work with your best landscaping company in Northern Rhode Island to check for any cracks, breaks and chips in your hardscaping materials. Repair or replace things as needed before the first snowfall hits to prevent increasing damage to other areas of your property. Even when the mowing of summer and late fall is done, make sure that your landscaping service continues to rake and remove leaves from your property to prevent pavers from becoming slippery and dangerous. Wet leaves can also cause staining on concrete, pavers and brick.
Contact Eastern Landscaping by calling 401-766-9035 to get a NO COST estimate on any of our landscaping and hardscaping solutions designed to help you maximize your outdoor living space in Smithfield and the surrounding Rhode Island area. Call today and see why so many property owners in our area trust Eastern Landscaping, Inc. with their property maintenance services year-round.
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