How to Deice Your Driveway

Ice instantly turns an ordinary driveway into a hazard. In addition to potential injuries from falling, your vehicle can lose control on ice no matter how slow you are driving, especially if the driveway is on a slope. You don’t need special skills or equipment to maintain safe conditions on your driveway this winter. Knowing how to deice a driveway entails learning basics tricks.

Sand
Scooper or seed spreader
Shovel
Hammer
Bucket
Snow blower

Instructions

- 1
  Spread sand with a scooper or seed spreader over the driveway when a wintry mix or snow is expected. The material provides traction for cars and boots and will help melt snow and ice from underneath. Sand also heats up during the day, which speeds the melting process.
- 2
  Clear away snow from the surface of the driveway as it falls. Using a shovel, scoop up the snow every few hours, depending on how heavy it comes down. Shoveling snow before it gets compacted also reduces labor because the snow is much lighter.
- 3
  Drive a shovel into any ice patches at an angle to create a crack. Wedge the tip of the shovel into the crack, and push the shovel beneath the slab with your foot on the blunt top of the shovel.
- 4
  Break up any thick patches of ice by hitting the ice with a hammer until cracks form.
- 5
  Scoop broken ice chunks into a bucket as you work to prevent the ice from refreezing on the surface.
- 6
  Reapply the surface layer of sand as needed. Begin at the end of the driveway near the house, and spread sand generously.
- 7
  Clear loose snow away from the edges of the driveway with a snow blower or shovel to prevent discarded snow from falling back onto the driveway.

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