Clear sidewalk snow without salt

Prevent snow from packing down...

because packed snow turns to hard ice in a few days.

Snow blowers make things worse, because they leave a layer of packed snow.

Use a shovel with a sharp edge (or an ice scraper) to remove packed snow. The sooner you remove it, the less the ice sticks to pavement.

Shovel a narrow lane as soon as you can. People will walk there, and won't pack snow on the unshoveled portion.

Now use solar power to melt the rest! 

To disappear, ice (or packed snow) does not need to melt. It can go directly from solid to water vapor, even at temperatures below zero! It's called "sublimation."

Ice does require energy to vanish without melting. You have to scrape the snow thin enough so light energy will penetrate to the pavement. Even with thin clouds on cold days, enough sunlight penetrates to make a difference. The ice will disappear in a few days, depending on temperature and sun. Touch it up before you leave for work... the sun will do the rest.

To prevent icy patches from forming when it warms up, clear to the edge of the sidewalk between snowfalls. This way, any meltwater sinks into the ground at the pavement's edge. You don't get icy puddles on the sidewalk.

With more pavement exposed, the sidewalk area gets warmer, helping to prevent new ice--and the next snowfall is easier if the whole sidewalk has been cleared.

Prioritize

You have to clear your sidewalk, but you don't have to shovel your driveway, at least not right away.

Work in stages to avoid fatigue, resting between. First the central strip of the sidewalk. Then scrape packed snow. Then enlarge the width of the path. Finally, clear to the grass and chip any remaining ice.

Check the weather report. If it's going to warm up, no worry to clear snow. If a long period of cold weather is coming, be careful to prevent packed snow. Salt doesn't melt ice at temperatures below about 15F, but the sun does!

Even on hills or steps, you don't need salt. Sand works very well. You can find it in city barrels at street corners. You can buy Yaktrax to make your shoes slip-proof.

Hope this helps! HAPPY SOLAR SHOVELING !