Copyright SlashGear
When winter weather hits hard, and ices over our pathways, the first thing most of us reach for is a bag of salt. It's the thing generations have assumed is the best way to melt ice from driveways and sidewalks. But here's the thing to know as winter approaches: A faster, more cost-effective way to get the job done might already be hanging in your garage. We're talking about a standard garden pitchfork. Yes, the same one used all spring, summer, and fall for your yard work can also outperform traditional ice scrapers, chemical de-icers, and even road salt alternatives. If you need a visual, YouTuber Rob's Garage Woodworking demonstrates it for you: Unlike flat scrapers, which need to be slid underneath the ice to really work their best, a pitchfork gives you a lot more leverage. This is especially true with compacted snow or multiple inches of freeze outside your front door. The pitchfork's curved tines dig deep, then you just rock it back and forth to lift entire sheets off the surface of your driveway or sidewalk. (Just be careful not to go too deep and scratch the concrete underneath the ice). Even if you do nick the driveway, you're still doing less long-term damage than traditional de-icing salt. It can make concrete cracks and deterioration worse, especially when there's a lot of freezing and thawing and re-freezing going on. Salt Belt states across the Midwest and Northeast will also tell you how salt can corrode your car parts, leaving you with rusted frames, exhaust systems, and coil springs. Plus, tons of environmental studies give us more reasons why using de-icing salt is a terrible idea. It's increased salt levels in nearly 40% of U.S. waterways, and that's doing damage to our country's ecosystems and contaminating our groundwater, too. Avoiding de-icing salt altogether and grabbing a pitchfork instead can spare your vehicles, your driveway, and the environment in one. Alternatives like digging forks, ice choppers, or even shovels will also work, but a pitchfork is really going to be the thing that gives you the clear advantage (particularly when the ice is too thick for flat blades to wedge underneath).
