To prevent snow from sticking to your plow blade, it’s essential to store your plow in an unheated, outdoor area. Cold plows cause less snow to stick. Then, add a permanent non-stick surface by installing a polymer blade shield on your plow or painting the plow blade with a coat of epoxy paint. For a temporary solution, spray your plow blade with anti-corrosion spray, car wax, furniture polish, or ceramic wax. These tactics work better than using a lubricant or Teflon spray.
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7 Ways to Stop Snow from Sticking to Your Snow Plow
Wet snow sticking to your plow can make clearing your driveway an extreme challenge. Heavy snow weighs down your plow, and snow can slide off the plow at the wrong time, ruining the areas you’ve cleared. To prevent a mass of snow from getting stuck to your plow, follow these winter-tested tips:
Store Your Plow Outdoors
It’s best to store your snow plow outside in the winter. Why? Because storing your snow plow in a warm or heated space warms up the metal. When warm metal makes contact with the snow, it melts some of the snow, which refreezes and sticks to the plow blade. By storing your plow outdoors, the metal blade will remain at the same temperature as the snow. This results in far less snow sticking to the plow blade.
Add a Blade Shield
Unshielded steel snow plow blades are notorious snow magnets. To keep snow from sticking, install this poly-blade shield on your plow. The polymer will shed snow much easier than steel, resulting in far less snow weighing down your plow. Clearing your driveway or access road will be a lot faster and easier. Unlike spraying your snow plow blade with lubricant, a snow plow shield only needs to be installed once. This will save you time and money spent spraying down your snow plow with WD-40.
Epoxy Paint
Instead of installing a blade shield, you can paint your snow plow with epoxy paint. This slick paint causes snow to slide off easily, preventing sticky snow situations. We recommend this sprayable heavy-duty epoxy paint that is made to stand up to all types of weather and salt exposure. Not only will spraying your plow with this paint stop snow from sticking, but it will also prevent road salt from eating away at your metal snow plow.
Anti-Corrosion Spray
If you don’t have the opportunity to paint or shield your plow in the middle of winter, use a powerful anti-corrosion lubricant spray. This spray is our top choice for preventing any type of snow from sticking to your plow blade. It lasts longer than competitors and is more effective. So, you’ll need to reapply less often. Thoroughly spray the plow blade right before you start plowing and the snow will slide right off.
Car Wax
Liquid car wax is another excellent choice for preventing snow from sticking to your plow. Coat the entire front of the blade in the car wax of your choice. This will create a slick barrier that prevents snow from sticking. Plus, one coat of wax will often last through several uses of your snow plow. So, you won’t need to reapply very often.
Furniture Polish
If you need to prevent snow from sticking to plow blades or snow blowers, furniture polish actually works better than common lubricant sprays. This furniture polish is designed to leave behind a layer of glossy finish, which makes it perfect for helping snow slide off your plow blade. You can spray it on your plow or inside a snowblower chute that is prone to snow clogs.
Ceramic Wax
Although most car waxes are great for keeping snow from sticking to your plow, we highly recommend this ceramic wax. Simply use the spray bottle to apply the wax directly to the plow blade, then use a towel or cloth to spread the wax evenly. You’ll get a great stick-free surface that sheds snow easily.
What Should You Avoid Using on Your Snow Plow?
Not all methods meant to prevent snow from sticking to your plow are actually effective. Silicone and Teflon sprays work for a short time before they wear off. So, snow might start to stick to your plow blade again halfway through the job. Instead of spending money on an expensive Teflon spray that you have to constantly reapply, use a longer-lasting option.
- Teflon Spray
- Silicone spray
- WD-40
- Cooking oil or vegetable oil
Standard lubricants, such as WD-40, are also fairly ineffective at keeping your plow snow-free. The lubricant is wiped away quickly, so the snow will start sticking again soon. Cooking oil or vegetable oil sprays suffer from the same problem, so they’re better off left in the kitchen.
How Do You Keep Snow From Sticking to Your Snow Plow?
The best ways to stop snow from sticking to your snow plow blade are:
- Always store your plow outdoors so that it is at the same temperature as the snow.
- Install a poly snow plow shield so snow slides off easily.
- Paint your snow plow blade with heavy-duty epoxy paint.
- Spray an anti-corrosion lubricant on the blade.
- Coat your snow plow blade with car wax.
- Spray furniture polish as a snow plow blade lubricant.
- Use ceramic wax for a long-lasting non-stick coating on your snow plow.
These methods are far more effective than using cooking sprays or common lubricants. If possible, use permanent methods to make your snow plow less susceptible to sticky snow. However, a high-quality spray or car wax can be applied quickly, and will make clearing snow much easier this winter.
