Winter Safety

Jack Frost is Not Your Friend…

Unless You Know How to Keep
Ice Off Your Walkways

You are in for the adventure of a lifetime, one that may send you to the hospital. You are ready to tempt fate and walk across that tricky patch of ice by the front door. As you shuffle along, hoping that your health insurance covers long-term disability, you realize that it’s time to figure out the trick behind ice removal. Let’s explore the advantages and disadvantages of several ice-removal methods.

Salt of the Earth - Inexpensive

The most commonly-known method of melting ice is to use rock salt, also known as sodium chloride. Salt can do a great job as long as the temperature is not too cold (more about temperature in a moment) and it is fairly pet-friendly. Toss that inexpensive rock salt on your ice patch and watch as it magically creates little holes in the sparkling surface of your dangerous ice buildup. These holes help you break up the ice.

The salt-on-ice magic happens because salt lowers the freezing point of water from 32° F,

to as low as -5° F, depending on the concentration of the salt-to-water mixture (try dumping a whole bag of salt in one small area, and check it out). Salt allows the frozen water to become liquid again, especially where the sun is helping to warm the ice at the same time. However, during outdoor temperatures below 15° F, the melted water will quickly run off into the shade, and turn back into ice again.

Although using rock salt on ice is helpful with temperatures above 15° F, the resulting salt water is a corrosive liquid, and it can create holes (or pitting) in your sidewalk. Additionally, using a lot of this caustic mixture can give you a whole new problem in the spring – your lawn will hate that you have watered it all winter with salt water. You should also be cautious that your animals don’t consume a lot of this sodium chloride water, because it can cause health problems. So, what can you use instead of rock salt? Keep reading to give yourself a few other ideas.

Magnesium Chloride – Environmentally Friendly

Magnesium chloride can melt ice in temperatures down to -15° F. Fabulous, right? Unfortunately, it may cost you three times as rock salt. One benefit of magnesium chloride is it can be good for your lawn in small doses. But, it can be damaging in large doses. Additionally, large quantities can cause some damage to your concrete. It can also be dangerous if consumed by your pets.

Calcium Chloride – Pet Friendly

Calcium chloride can melt ice in temperatures as low as -25° F, and it is fast-acting. However, like many other ice melters, in large amounts it can also erode your concrete and mortar. If you decide to use calcium chloride or rock salt, it is best to clean off the area after they have done their job to avoid sidewalk damage. Fortunately, calcium chloride is purported to be more pet-friendly than rock salt or magnesium chloride.

Sand – Pet Friendly & Environmentally Friendly

Sand is the most basic and one of the most “green” products to use on a slippery ice patch.  So, why don’t most people use sand? Because, it doesn’t melt the ice, it just helps your shoes have more traction on the ice. So, the more foot traffic you have, the more grinding down of the ice you will have, and this may work well enough if your ice patch is thin. But, don’t expect to see the same results as rock salt in both good and bad ways; sand is not bad for the lawn and concrete, but not good at melting ice.

Other De-Icers

Large hardware stores carry a variety of de-icers. Some of these ice-melting products use ingredients that won’t erode your pavement, and/or are more environmentally friendly.  However, as expected, the more “friendly” they are to pavement, pets, and lawns, the more they will cost.

What to Choose

In conclusion, you have many ways to keep ice buildup under control. To decide, use your favorite search engine to browse for the best product to meet your needs, whether your needs are to have something pet-friendly, lawn-friendly, or wallet-friendly. Or, browse through the brains of your favorite local know-it-all to see what is useful in your area’s weather conditions.