How can I remove ice from my driveway?

Jill ,. Try ice melt, or sand. Aloha!

Too much ice melt or products like this can detererate surface of driveway. Sand or ash from fire place will make it so you can walk or drive on it.

Salt melts ice but also causes damage to the concrete. Commercial Ice melt granulate is more costly but is formulated to minimize damage to the driveway material. Long term very pricey option is to have a heated surface installed. We are planning a new garage at our Montana home where snow is ever present from December through April. The cost is highly prohibitive for the entire 1000 foot driveway but doable for the parking pad in front of the garage and sidewalk at $12-$20 a sq ft. Snow removal is also needed to minimize the ice build up. We have yet to move there for winter habitation, but the neighbors say if they have first of season snow removal done effectively it is fairly easy to maintain and does not build up so horribly. There are also heating mats that you can apply on top of compounded ice and snow to melt it after it forms. This will need to be done every time it builds up and then removed and used again later. I have seen 3' x 4' mats in the $300-$400 range. These do not degrade the driveway surfaces but uses electricity.

I agree with the ice melt, the sand won't melt it, just make it walkable. You may need to get an ice scraper make for the job. I always have one! Both our driveway and the two sidewalks are on hills, so we get lots of ice!

If you diligently shovel before driving on the driveway, there isn't really any ice build up. Ice should not form on properly installed stairs unless there's water dripping from above or they have pitched.