The worst thing about winter is the snow. It’s a pain to shovel, and it leaves ugly patches of gravel in your driveway if you don’t have a plow service. There are many ways that people remove snow from their driveways-the most common being with a shovel and some elbow grease-but today I want to talk about two other methods: one involving using salt as an ice melter, and the second involving using sand for traction on icy paths.
Why salt is an excellent ice melter
Salt, in the form of rock salt or sodium chloride, works well as an ice melter because it lowers the freezing point of water. This means that salt can remain a liquid even when temperatures are below 0° C. When you put salt on a sidewalk or driveway, it breaks up the ice and then melts it. It's best to use rock salt instead of table salt, as rock salt has larger crystals that are less likely to be blown around by wind or traffic.
What sand can do for icy paths
Sand is also an excellent way to get traction on icy pathways, as well as reduce the possibility of slipping and falling. But what type of sand should you use? Well, it depends on a few different factors: if you live in an area that gets a lot of rain or snowmelt, then it's best to use finer grains like sugar sand or play sand. If you live in an area where it snows a lot and there isn't much rain (or you don't want the sand scattered by heavy winds), then you could use coarse grain rock salt.
How to use these two substances in your gravel driveway
It's hard to find a good mixture of salt and sand, as most people will need a lot of both to make any type of real difference. It's best if you pour the salt first, and then cover it with the sand. If you have a shovel, you can use it to tamp down the mixture some more, just be careful not to spill that salty goodness all over your driveway!
Salt and sand are both excellent ways to prevent slipping on your driveway. It's best not to use table salt, as it doesn't have the same effect when you're trying to break up ice or melt snow. Rock salt is better for that purpose, but if you live in an area where there isn't a lot of rain or wind, then coarse-grain rock salt will be just fine!