How to Keep the Driveway Clear of Ice
When you battle the elements throughout the winter, you may fight continual rounds of ice and snow. If a pedestrian slips on an icy driveway, you may incur liabilities above what your homeowners insurance will cover. Additionally, many local municipalities enforce snow- and ice-maintenance ordinances that impose fines for noncompliance. Keep the driveway clear of ice to maintain a neat and safe outdoor area. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Shovel
- Snow blower
- Snowplowing service
- Push broom
- Ice melt product, such as calcium magnesium acetate or calcium chloride
- Ice pick
Instructions
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Remove snow promptly when it accumulates on the driveway. Choices for snow removal include shoveling, using a snow blower or hiring a snowplowing service to remove the snow for you. If only a dusting of snow accumulates, you might use a push broom or sprinkle ice melt to clear the driveway.
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Apply the ice melt product evenly over the surface of the driveway in areas where puddles form or where water remains on the driveway. You can also use ice melt to remove 1- to 2-inch snow accumulations without shoveling or plowing.
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Maintain the driveway throughout the winter to ensure that ice does not develop. As snow melts and refreezes, ice often forms. This can occur even without recent snowfalls, especially if wind blows snow onto your driveway. Check the driveway daily and apply ice melt to eliminate ice. Another alternative is to break up the ice with an ice pick and then shovel away the ice pieces with a snow shovel.
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Tips & Warnings
The key to keeping ice from forming on a driveway is removing snow promptly when it falls. Even a dusting of snow will form a layer of ice if you do not remove it as soon as possible.
Choose an ice melt product, such as calcium chloride crystals, designed to be "nontracking." Nontracking pellets should not fall off boots inside where small children may eat them, and they should not lodge in your pets' paws.
Some ice-melt products can cause painful burns to people and pets, corrode metal or kill plants. Read labels thoroughly and follow instructions carefully. Sodium chloride, or rock salt, is inexpensive, however it will not melt ice effectively below 22 degrees Fahrenheit and it may harm vegetation. Calcium magnesium acetate is biodegradable but costlier, and it can injure plants in high concentrations. Calcium chloride also may harm vegetation in high concentrations and can corrode metal. A portion of any chemical you apply to your driveway will wind up in the groundwater as the ice and snow melt.
References
- Photo Credit Karl Weatherly/Photodisc/Getty Images
