Winter grit does not disappear on its own. It moves to the wrong place if it is not collected dry and on time. The first warm week of spring is when the job is either done or already late.
When should the grit go?
When the snow has melted and the grit is dry. Wet grit sticks to the broom, sinks into the lawn and fills the paving joints. Do not start on the first thaw if the ground is still frozen and the grit is stuck. Wait until the surface lifts, then do the work the same week. The longer grit sits in meltwater, the deeper it travels.
Won't the rain take it?
Not off the yard. Rain pushes it into paving joints, the base of the lawn and the storm drain. The drain blocks, the yard turns to dust in summer, and in autumn the same grit is in the wrong place on an icy day. Grit that looks as if the rain took it has usually moved into the planting and the drain. A broom will not get it back from there.
Can I sweep it myself?
A short house path, yes, with a broom and a wheelbarrow, on one dry day. A whole housing company yard, the parking bays and the play area are a different scale. If the grit is centimetres deep, the broom gives up before the job is half done, and the rest rides onto the lawn on tyres. Do not sweep wet grit into a flower bed and call it gone. It is still there.
What happens if it stays?
The lawn suffers, because grit smothers the grass and makes mowing uneven. The paving lifts and the joints fill. In autumn the same material is in the wrong place on ice, and in winter more is spread on top. Property maintenance collects the grit in spring and looks at what winter did to the drains and the paths. If removal was not written into the winter agreement, it arrives as a separate surprise.
Is there a hurry?
Yes, as soon as the grit is dry and before the next rain. Grit that has reached the planting does not come out cleanly. A delay on the play area and the car park also means dust and slippery joints once the surface dries. Leaving it over the weekend is the mistake that repeats every spring.
How do you do the job?
We collect the grit the way the site needs, by machine or by hand, and we take it away. We do not move it behind the lawn. The yard stays in use. It does not stay a sand field. We say beforehand whether the drains and the paving joints belong to the same visit. After that the lawn can be mown without the blade tearing through grit.