How to Get Rid of Packed Ice on the Driveway

Shovel as much snow off of the ice as possible. Pile the snow where future melt will not return to the driveway and re-freeze.

Chip the ice into small, removable and manageable pieces using the ice chipper. Strike the ice directly from above using only as much effort as needed to crack the ice in order to avoid damaging the driveway surface and prevent strains or other injury. Do this across as much of the driveway as possible.

Shovel the ice pieces off of the driveway. Once the ice is patchy, it may be easy to scrape and shovel off much of the remaining ice as long as the ice is not well bonded to the driveway surface. A metal or metal-bladed shovel is most effective for this task.

Sprinkle a deicing compound evenly across the remaining ice. Choose a deicing compound based upon cost, any possible negative effects on the driveway surface, temperature and potential environmental effects, as many landscape plants are vulnerable to salt damage. There are many deicing compounds available, ranging from the traditional and inexpensive, though highly corrosive, sodium chloride to the more expensive, but less corrosive, calcium magnesium acetate.

Check the driveway surface several hours after the initial application of deicing compound. Chip and remove more ice and apply additional deicing compound if it is warranted.