People Are Using Sugar To Melt Their Icy Driveway - But Is It Really A Good Idea?

You may have heard via TikTok that you can remove snow and ice from your driveway in a pinch with common pantry items like sugar if your local stores are sold out of deicer. Sugar may be an effective method to melt the ice, but it offers a not-so-sweet downside. Before you grab your bag and sprinkle sugar all over your walkway, there's a few things you should know. Using it as a method for melting ice isn't a good idea, nor is it cost effective. It pales in performance to salt and can cause more trouble than it's worth thanks to slipping and pests.

Scientifically speaking, sugar doesn't exactly melt ice. Instead, it lowers the freezing point of water, also known as the freezing point depression. During this process, the sugar molecules make it so that the water has to drop to a lower temperature before it can freeze, like how salt works. However, compared to salt, sugar is more soluble, meaning it dissolves faster so you'll end up using more than if you used salt to achieve the same result. Salt also dissociates into two ions, weakening the structure of ice while making reformation more difficult. You could try using sugar sparingly on small patches of ice, but it may not be worth the effort, especially when there are better alternatives.

Sometimes you have to take social media clips with a grain of salt. For every great landscaping TikTok hack you see, there's plenty of other ways to simplify the process. Using sugar for your driveway or walkway is an example. Sugar will melt the ice, but at a slower pace than salt, which means you will need more for the job. And because it's the more expensive option, it's more cost effective to stick with salt. Sugar is also not ideal to cut through thick sheets of ice on your driveway.

Scattering sugar on your walkway can also leave behind a sticky residue, which could attract pests such as ants, cockroaches, and other creepy crawlies with a sweet tooth. Not to mention, you could track that sticky goop right into your house. As it remains on the surface, the substance can also collect dirt and debris, making your driveway look dingy after the ice finally thaws.

Using sugar to melt your icy driveway should also be done with caution as it can cause a refreezing hazard. So, it's best to save the sugar for your homemade cookies. If you're out of salt and need an alternative, whip up an easy deicer by combining 2 cups of warm water, 1 cup rubbing alcohol, and 1/4 cup dish soap in a bucket. After mixing the ingredients, pour it on your driveway and wait for it to bubble. Then simply scrape the ice away.