We’ve all been there! Your driveway, road, or sidewalk is covered in ice and you need to find a way to melt it. If you do not have any ice melt on hand, what other solutions are there?
Fortunately for you, this article will cover everything you need to know about the traditional and other ice melt alternatives — both temporary and long-term.
Dangers of Not Deicing Your Driveway
While many deicing products aren’t safe, doing nothing can be even worse. Driving up and down a driveway covered in ice can increase your risk of car accidents.
It is also a safety risk for you and your family to walk across icy driveways, walkways, and steps. If you slip, you can become seriously injured. When it is someone else, it becomes a potential liability.
How to Melt Ice on Driveway: Traditional Methods
While there are many temporary solutions, the traditional options to melt ice on sidewalks and driveways include:
Rock Salt
Although rock salt is often people’s first option for deicing their driveway, many are unaware of the significant drawbacks to this method. Rock salt can cause serious damage to asphalt and concrete pavement, in addition to making the plant life around your driveway lose its leaves. Sometimes, it can even be harmful to pets and children.
When you breathe in rock salt, it can irritate your throat, mouth, stomach, and intestines. It may be fatal if too much is consumed. Many individuals are therefore seeking safe alternatives to rock salt.
Ice Melt
Ice melt is a blend of salts, including magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, and potassium chloride. It is a product formulated to work at lower temperatures, lowering the freezing point of water, melting ice, and preventing more from forming.
While effective, it is expensive, isn’t effective on thick ice, and many formulations are harmful to the environment, especially if they get into local water sources. They can also stain the surface to which they are applied.
What Can You Use to Melt Ice Besides Salt and Ice Melt?
Instead of using harmful products like salts and ice melts, consider turning to safer, more environmentally friendly ice melting alternatives.
1. Scraping it With a Shovel
The standard snow shovel is the most reliable tool, though it is very tiring to use. It’s not the best option in terms of time or fun, but it always gets the job done. The sooner you shovel, the better prepared you’ll be. The goal is to remove as much snow from the driveway early on, before people start walking on it and compacting it down. Once people walk on freshly fallen snow, it becomes more difficult to clear away and more dangerous.
If you shovel your driveway every morning during winter, the sun will have time to melt away any leftover snow, and black ice won’t form. This method only works if you’re consistent with it, but it’s worth it to prevent slips and falls on your property.
2. Rubbing Alcohol and Dish Soap
If you want an environmentally friendly and effective way to melt the snow on your driveway, look no further than this easy DIY solution. All you need is a bucket, some hot water, rubbing alcohol, dish soap, and you’re in business! Your driveway will be clear in no time. Just note that you may have to put in a little elbow grease with a shovel for any leftover patches of snow, or reapply it more often. Also, larger driveways might require more of the mixture.
3. Fertilizer
Another ice melt alternative that may sound odd is fertilizer. While it may not be as effective as rock salt at removing ice, it is a readily available, affordable option.
The key is to ensure you choose a fertilizer with a high percentage of nitrogen, which is effective at melting ice. Key nitrogen-rich ingredients include ammonium sulfate, potassium chloride, and urea.
4. Coffee Grounds
If you don’t want to use fertilizer, you can do something that only a few actually know about. After making their morning coffee, some people throw away their coffee grounds or add it to their compost.
The grounds are rich in nitrogen, which as mentioned above, is effective at melting ice.
5. Sugar Beet Juice
Want an even more interesting option on how to melt ice on a driveway? Try sugar beet juice.
You can find this in liquid and powdered form, and the chemical makeup makes it work similarly to traditional rock salt. That is to say, sugar beet juice lowers the melting point of ice and snow.
And it provides a safe, effective solution. The only downside is you can end up with sugar beet colored concrete if you don’t clean it up quickly.
6. Vinegar
Vinegar has acetic acid, a chemical compound that lowers ice’s melting point. While it isn’t as effective as rock salt or even the other ice melt alternatives on this list, it can still make a difference if you’re in a pinch.
7. Radiant Heating: The Best Ice Melt Alternative To Get Rid of Ice
None of the other possible alternatives to ice melt and salt are as effective as a radiant heated driveway.
With a heated driveway, there is no need to buy special products or go outside to remove ice manually; the driveway heating system will do all the work. While some systems are manually operated, others are automatic and turn on when their sensors pick up weather conditions that are prime for snow and ice.
Not only will one of these systems eliminate a lot of the outdoor housework you typically have, but it will also protect your surfaces and help prolong their life.
How Radiant Heating is Installed in Driveways
Ideally, you want to install a driveway heating system with a new driveway installation, but it can be installed on an existing driveway. You can choose between electrical and water-powered (“hydronic”) systems, and both are typically compatible with concrete, asphalt, and paver driveways. For the most effective heating, you’ll want an electrical system.
You must embed the system to ensure it is safe from potential damage. This can be done using asphalt, concrete, or sand when used with pavers, with the heating element sitting 1.5″ to 3″ from the surface (recommended depth depends on the covering used).
Electric radiant snow melt systems come in two styles: pre-fixed mesh mats and loose cables. You will want to use the latter option for curved driveways or more custom outdoor layouts. Regardless, both systems offer effective alternatives to salt for deicing.
However, if you are looking to have a truly successful radiant heating driveway installation, you should work with a professional contractor of your choice. Need help finding one? Reach out to Warmup!
Can You Use Radiant Heat Systems On Other Exterior Surfaces?
The great thing about radiant heating systems is that they can work for more than just your driveway. For example:
Heat Your Patio or Walkways
While you may not want to spend all day outside on your patio in the winter, having it free from snow and ice will allow you and your pets to get into the yard safely. It is also great to add if you have a firepit, as your patio will be more comfortable to spend time around the fire during the fall.
Just like your patio, walkways can be dangerous when covered with snow and ice, posing a risk for slips and falls. A radiant heating system installed under your walkways ensures that they stay clear of snow and ice, providing a safe, maintenance-free path for you and your guests. This is especially beneficial for homes with long entry paths or walkways around the house, as it eliminates the need for manual deicing and shoveling during the winter months.
Heated Stairs
Heating stairs is less about comfort and more about safety. Icy, wet stairs are an extreme safety hazard that you will want to avoid at all costs. There is no question that a radiant heating system is the best option for melting ice on steps.
Warmup: The Best of the Ice Melting Alternatives
There is no denying that if you want the best solution on how to get rid of ice on a sidewalk, driveway, or other surface, you want radiant heating.
While other methods provide temporary relief, a system from Warmup will work on its own, keeping your driveway, walkways, and stairs free from snow and ice and safe for everyone. With both cable and mat systems available, there is something to meet every homeowner’s needs – we even have roof deicing products!
Contact our experts today to learn more about our snow melting systems and find the perfect solutions for your home.
