How to keep your paths and driveway ice free

Whilst the snow and ice are the delight of the young, it can be treacherous to navigate safe passage and for the elderly and those with decreased mobility the risks of an accident are increased. Every year thousands of people are injured because of slips on icy paths and roads. It makes sense then to clear the ice and snow from your driveway and paths, clearing the stretch in front of your property will also be helpful for your neighbours. So, what is the best way to keep paths and driveways ice free?

Gritting

We’ve all seen the road gritters out in force on cold days as they grit the roads to prevent ice building up. You can use the same grit to keep your property ice free.

There are two main types of grit and these are brown rock salt which is a mixture of salt, dirt and sand and white de-icing salt which is pretty much pure salt.

Brown salt is good for de-icing paths and driveways and also the dirt and sand give extra traction on the surface making it less slippery in general. The main downside is that the sand and dirt are dirty and will stain the inside of your home with muddy streaks.

White de-icing salt gives less traction as it has no dirt or sand, but it is much cleaner and less likely to make the inside of your home or car dirty. The other main difference is price. White salt is more expensive than brown salt as it is typically sourced from abroad.

You can buy both white and brown salt from most DIY and hardware shops. Screwfix have 25 kg bags of white de-icing salt and Jewson’s have 25kg bags of brown rock salt. It is a good idea to keep a bag of your preferred grit handy, rather than waiting for the ice or snow. If you do get caught out, you can also use normal table salt or dishwasher salt and 1 tablespoon will de-ice up to one square meter.

Keeping your paths and drives gritted is the best way of ensuring ice doesn’t build up. Try to use more salt on slopes and steps to make sure that they are properly treated as these tend to pose the highest slip risk. Be careful when gritting to avoid spraying salt on plants or near trees as the salt can damage them.

Clear Early

If you do forget to grit your paths and driveway and it snows or ice builds up, then clear it early in the day. The reason is that, as the day progresses the snow and ice will compact more making it harder to clear and more slippery as it compacts and hardens. Clearing it while it is fresh and loose it so much easier. Once you have cleared any snow or ice, make sure to apply salt or sand to stop the area freezing over again. Be careful where you deposit the excess snow as you don’t want to pile it up on someone else’s drive or block drains with it.

Never use water

Although water will melt snow or ice and create a safe path quickly, all that will happen is that it will freeze over during the day and simply cause another slip hazard. Water should never be used to clear paths or driveways.

Wrap up warm

By default, it will be cold when you are clearing your paths and driveways so make sure to wrap up warm and wear suitable footwear for the slippery conditions.

Be Careful

Shifting snow and ice can be pretty strenuous work and add the cold in to that and you have the potential for some strained muscles, which are not fun. Take your time, only shift a manageable amount of snow and take regular breaks. The last thing you want is to put your back out in an attempt to prevent slip injuries.

Clearing the Pavements

Many people are concerned about clearing ice and snow from the pavements just outside of their property as they feel that they would be potentially sued if they did not do it properly, but this is not the case. According to the Government it is unlikely that anyone would be sued or held responsible if someone slipped on a path or driveway that they had cleared as long as the path or driveway was cleared responsibly.

Snow and ice are a given over the winter and by taking some simple steps you can prevent both building up on your paths and drives. There is nothing to prevent you from helping neighbours and even clearing the public paths outside your property too, it is, after all your neighbourhood. Just remember to take care of yourself out there in the cold.