The voice of your alarm clock jolts you awake from a glorious slumber. “Make sure you bundle up on your way to work as it’s gonna be a cold one as the average temperature is going to be below freezing all throughout the day so watch out for ice.” You peer out your window and see that the forecast of snow has come true despite it being a small amount. You’re content with just staying in the warmth of your bed all day but know you have work in an hour or so. So you jump out of bed and get prepped to take on the snow that covers your car and driveway and with the use of your trusty snowblower, you’re done in minutes.
What started as a glorious day soon turns sour as you go to clean the snow off your car and realize you forgot to put up your wipers the night before. As you brush of the snow you come to see that your windshield wipers are frozen to the glass through thick ice. You attempt to clean off the ice without damaging the car but to no success as you crack your windshield. After you finally pry the wipers free, you realize you’re going to be late for work! You hop in the car and try to peel out of the snow free driveway, but your tires keeping spinning as you stay stagnant. Your driveway is blanketed in thin ice but while its thin, you don’t have the time to clear it all. So what do you do? The last of your ice melt was used up last week and you haven’t picked any up yet.
Thankfully, there are fast and natural ways to ensure that you can clear that pesky ice so you can get to work and ensure that loved ones don’t slip, fall, and become injured as they trek up and down your driveway.
Next time you forget to put up your windshield wipers, don’t fret as there is a way to remove the thick ice that coats them without damaging your vehicle. Simply get a bucket, cup, bottle, etc… of water that is slightly warmer than the ice. Then spray/dump on to the ice. The warmer water will begin to defrost the ice, breaking it up which makes it far easier to scrape off of your windshield. However, it is of paramount importance that you use slightly warmer water NOT extremely hot water. Use some boiling water or just extremely hot water and you then run the risk of cracking your car window due to the sudden change in temperature. And while this method can also be used to break up ice that may cover your driveway, there are far more effective ways of dealing with large spread areas of ice.
Getting salty
There’s no reason to get salty or angry when your driveway or stairs are covered by ice when you have your trusty pal salt with you. Salt is extremely effective in melting ice quickly when you’re in a hurry. The salt changes the freezing point of water from 32 degrees Fahrenheit to roughly -6 degrees Fahrenheit thus making the natural temperature melt the ice. However, salt only works to perfection when the temperature outside is above 15 degrees Fahrenheit and when there is a small amount of water present. Thankfully it is quite easy to grab some water when you grab your salt. In addition to melting the ice, the salt can also help provide traction so your car can make its way out of the driveway.
Think outside the litter box
If you have a furry little feline at your home, you’re in luck as that cat litter could be of assistance to you. But contrary to what some would say, kitty litter does not melt ice. While the kitty litter won’t melt the ice that coats your driveway, sometimes you need to leave and worry about the ice later. The kitty litter can be used to get traction for your vehicles depending on the amount of ice that layers your driveway. Just heavily sprinkle some kitty litter around your tires and throughout your driveway in a path for your car to follow and give it a go. While yes that doesn’t solve your icy problem, it does get you where you need to be. And while you’re out doing what needs to be done, the sun can melt the ice so that way when you get home, you can shovel up the ice and clear your driveway worry free.
Next time you run out of ice melt or are in dire need to cross an icy driveway, you need not fret as you can insure that you can make it out. No longer will you spin out as your wheels spin in a stagnant location, nor will you potentially damage your car when you free your wipers from a block of ice.
Bridget Rogers is an independent freelance writer based out of Madison, Wisconsin. Bridget's work can be found on a variety of sources in both online and print media.
