Preparing Your Small Business's Exteriors For Winter
Posted on: 5 November 2015
When fall is in full swing and winter is swiftly approaching, your thoughts as a small business owner shift to making sure that your building and the outdoor areas of your business are ready for the cold and snowy season to come. If this is your first year running a small business, you may not know where to begin in the preparations process. Get to know some of the steps that you should take to make your small business ready for the winter months to come and you will be able to start your readiness procedures sooner rather than later.
Check Parking Lot and Sidewalks for Any Trouble Areas
One of the biggest areas of concern for your business during the winter is the integrity of your parking lot and sidewalks. Concrete is a substance that is highly durable but is susceptible to the effects of cold temperature and snow or ice during the winter months.
As such, before it gets too cold and temperatures reach freezing, you will want to inspect your sidewalks and parking lot for any large cracks or holes in the concrete. If you find any of these issues, you may want to have commercial paving repairs done (or a complete replacement of the concrete structure.
A concrete professional (or you) can use concrete sawing to remove the damaged sections of your sidewalk or parking lot. Then those areas can be filled with new concrete and will be able to set properly before winter comes. If you do not, ice can form in those cracks and holes, making the damage far more extensive and problematic when it thaws again. This is why it is better to perform repairs sooner rather than later.
Get the Supplies and Equipment You Will Need
The other major step that you should take ahead of time or winter is to get all of the equipment and supplies that you need for winter ready and available for use as soon as possible. Ice melt and salt are important supplies to keep on hand to prevent your sidewalks and even your parking lot from getting iced over and slick.
Additionally, you will need to have heavy duty snow shovels that can also help chip away any stubborn patches of ice. To ensure that you can see out of your windows and any glass doors in your business, you will also need some handheld ice scrapers and window spray with antifreeze. If you have a large parking lot, you may need to consider hiring a plowing service. The sooner you do so, the more likely you will be able to be added to such a service's client list.
Now that you know a few of the ways that you need to get your business's exterior ready for winter, you can get started in your preparations. Your business will be ready for winter before you know it.
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