What Melts Ice the Fastest on a Driveway Without Damage?

Natural Solutions

• Removing ice using a shovel or scraper may not be the quickest way to de-ice your driveway, but it is one of the safest. Cracking the ice and dispersing it with a shovel head will help the ice to melt. As no chemicals are involved in the process, there is little risk of your driveway being damaged. Car windscreens and mild icy build-ups on driveways can also be naturally de-iced using lukewarm water. Avoid using hot water, however, as this may cause windscreens to crack.

Fertilizer

• Fertilizer can be used to de-ice driveways, but tends to be more effective at thin rather than thick icy build-ups. Fertilizer is also relatively expensive, costing around two dollars a pound. Despite its drawbacks, however, fertilizer won’t damage your driveway and serves a double function of assisting your lawn’s growth once the ice begins to dissipate.

Sodium Chloride/Rock Salt

• According to the Cleveland news website, rock salt is the most popular and least expensive means of de-icing a driveway. Despite these advantages, however, rock salt can inhibit the growth of surrounding vegetation and can adversely affect aquatic life when the water washes away into nearby streams. Rock salt can also cause concrete to crack over time.

Calcium Chloride

• According to tests conducted by Kelly Gunderson of the Connect mid Missouri website, calcium chloride is the quickest means of melting driveway ice, working through the black layer of ice quicker than any of its rivals. Calcium chloride tends to be expensive, but won’t harm surrounding vegetation or risk damage to driveways.

Acetates

• Acetates come in a range of formulations including calcium magnesium acetate, potassium acetate and sodium acetate. Acetates are organic chemical compounds that are naturally broken down over time, causing no damage to vegetation or to the structure of driveways.