The Hack You Can Use To Easily Remove Snow In A Pinch

As winter approaches, you're probably gearing up mentally to tackle all the snow destined to settle in your yard. After all, getting rid of snow from driveways, lawns, and sidewalks is never easy when manually shoveling it away — and shoveling snow every few days can take a serious toll on your body because it's so strenuous. This is why you need to stop working hard to move that snow and start working a little smarter. Investing in a wet/dry shop vacuum is a great option that can ease the stress of hard labor in the cold. These vacuums can suck up the snow and spit it out anywhere you'd like, saving you days of muscle soreness.

Going far beyond average home vacuums that can only suck up dry, solid materials, wet/dry vacuums can clear up liquids too thanks to their often generously sized buckets. This makes them the perfect candidates to clear up the snow on the ground around your house, especially in a pinch. A bonus of this type of vacuum is that it doesn't just siphon but also has a blowing feature, meaning you can easily disperse looser blankets of snow.

A wet/dry vacuum ranks as one of the most useful appliances out there, as it can be utilized both inside and outside for myriad operations. There are many vacuums to choose from. For functionality, we recommend the Vacmaster Red Edition from Amazon. What's more, it boasts a 5-gallon bucket capacity and is pretty affordable at just $69.99. If you want something more portable, the Armor All vacuum is ideal with a 2.5-gallon capacity and it costs just $62. 

Once you've got your wet/dry vacuum assembled, you can maneuver between the suction and blowing settings as needed. Siphon the snow and then spit it out into the sewage system; just make sure you don't pile up snow on your lawn to avoid snow mold forming. Once you're done, empty out the tank so the machine doesn't develop any faults.

The downside to this vacuum hack is that the cord length might not work for a larger yard. A cordless vacuum provides more mobility, so we recommend the Shop-Vac cordless for $80. For long-term use, maintain your vacuum by cleaning the tank and the HEPA and foam filters with soap and water after every use. Soap and water are ideal for washing the filters, and let filters dry for a day before replacing them. If you notice that a filter is worn and torn, you'll need to a new one.