Shoveling snow is how middle-aged men have heart attacks. Every winter, emergency rooms see a spike in cardiac events after snowstorms. The cold constricts blood vessels, the exertion spikes blood pressure, and people who are otherwise sedentary suddenly do an hour of heavy lifting. If you do not have a snowblower and you do not want to shovel, you still have options.

Pretreat the driveway before it snows

The easiest snow to remove is snow that never sticks. Spray your driveway with a brine solution before the storm hits. Mix hot water with rock salt until no more salt dissolves — about three cups of salt per gallon of water — and spray it on with a garden sprayer. The brine prevents ice from bonding to the pavement. When the snow falls, it sits on a thin layer of liquid that makes it slide right off.

You can also use pickle brine — yes, the liquid from pickle jars. Some municipalities in the Midwest actually use cheese brine on roads because it is cheaper than rock salt and works at lower temperatures. Your driveway will smell faintly of pickles for a day. Small price.

The tarp method

If you know a storm is coming, lay a large tarp over the driveway and weigh down the corners with bricks or bags of salt. After the snow falls, drag the tarp to the edge of the driveway and flip it over. The snow dumps off in one motion. This works best for light to moderate snowfall — six inches or less. A foot of heavy wet snow is too heavy to drag. Do not attempt to lift it. Just drag and flip.

Leaf blower for powder

For light, dry powder snow — the kind that blows off your car with a wave of your hand — a leaf blower clears a driveway faster than a shovel. It only works on dry snow. Wet snow is too heavy. But for those January mornings with two inches of fairy dust, a leaf blower clears a two-car driveway in about five minutes. Your neighbors will think you are either a genius or insane. Both are fine.

Salt alternatives that are gentler on concrete

Rock salt eats concrete over time. It seeps into pores, freezes, expands, and causes spalling. Calcium magnesium acetate is a concrete-safe deicer that works down to about twenty degrees. It costs more than rock salt but does not destroy your driveway. Kitty litter provides traction without melting anything — good for walkways where you just need grip.