There are a number of Salt products on the market that will help you melt the ice on your driveway and sidewalks – but how do you choose the one that is best for your situation? Here we compare deicer product categories and detail the factors of how you can choose what’s best for your situation. We provide an example product for each category of deicer to make it easy to continue your research.
You’ll learn that many of the choices are ‘salts’ including common rock salt and other varieties of salt.
Pet Safe DeIcer
If you have dogs like I do, my selection is pretty simple. I get a lot of opportunity to walk them in winter in the ice and snow that we get in Colorado. I also try to keep my concrete patio clear in the fenced backyard where they are free to run around. I’ve seen what happens when we walk through an area where homeowners or snow removal companies have used products that ‘burn’ the pups paws. Sad!
Dog walking in snow and icy weather can be tough on dog paws, especially if you have to walk through areas with rock salt deicers.
What’s In It: A combination of “Modified Carbonyldiamide Crystal, Special Glycols, Non-ionic Surfactants, Accelerants, Proprietary Traction Agents, Special Inhibitors.” Salt and Chloride free.
Melting Temperature: As low as -2°F.
PROS
- Formulated to not ‘burn’ pet paws – Veterinarian approved
- Safe for people – for skin and even eyes (but try to avoid this anyway!)
- Non-toxic and biodegradable
- Safe for concrete, but use sparingly around decorative & colored concrete surfaces
- Designed to dissolve and remain on concrete to prevent future ice buildup
- Tinted a bluish green color so that you can easily see where you’ve spread it
CONS
- Can be more expensive than other DeIcers
- Tends to clump up and become difficult to spread around when stored for a long time. Be sure to tightly close the cap on the container so the product does not absorb moisture from the air.
Best For:
- People who have kids
- People who have pets who go outdoors in the winter
- People who want to protect concrete and plants
Beyond being okay for my dogs paw comfort, Safe Paw DeIcer comes in a bright color so you can see where you are spreading it on walkways - this helps get enough coverage without overusing the product. Also, it comes in a clear plastic jug with a big handle, so it is pretty easy to just distribute the product without needing any other tools.
Salt Blend DeIcer
A very commonly available DeIcer is the ‘salt blend’ variety. It contains some common salt (Sodium Chloride) but also has other ingredients that accelerate ice melting.
What’s In It: “Made from a blend of calcium, magnesium, and sodium”.
Melting Temperature: As low as -25°F.
PROS
- Safer for pet paws than pure salt
- Safer for concrete and vegetation than pure salt
- Tinted a light bluish color so that you can easily see where you’ve spread it
CONS
- Can be more expensive than salt-based products, but a little less expensive than the specialty formulated ‘pet safe’ varieties
- Tends to come in a fairly big quantities and in a plastic bag, so you need a way to store and spread it
Best For:
- People who live in very cold climates
This product is called Blue Heat and the blend of common Salt, magnesium and calcium combine to melt icy walks down well below zero Fahrenheit. This is a fairly large bag of product: 50 pounds.
Calcium Chloride DeIcer
Calcium Chloride is a salt that has the ability to melt ice and can be found in a few deicer products.
What’s In It: “Contains CMA (calcium magnesium acetate)”. Difficult to tell from the package if there are other things in the formula, or if it is a single ingredient.
Melting Temperature: As low as -10°F.
PROS
- Somewhat safer for pet paws than pure salt
- Somewhat safer for concrete and vegetation than pure salt, marketed as “less corrosive”
- Tinted a light greenish color so that you can easily see where you’ve spread it
- Price is similar to Salt-based products
CONS
- Ingredient list is vague, so you’re not sure of what all the ingredients are
Best For:
- People who live in moderately cold climates who want a less corrosive product than pure salt
Snow Joe offers a calcium chloride deicing product that provides ice melting capabilites down to 10 below (F). This takes you to the 25 pound bag of light green crystals.
Magnesium Chloride DeIcer
Magnesium Chloride is a salt that is found in a number of deicer products on the market.
What’s In It: “Magnesium Chloride Blend”. Difficult to tell from the package what other things are in the formula.
Melting Temperature: As low as -13°F.
PROS
- Somewhat safer for pet paws than pure salt
- Somewhat safer for concrete and vegetation than pure salt, marketed as “less corrosive”
- Tinted a light bluish color so that you can easily see where you’ve spread it
CONS
- More expensive than most of the other DeIcer choices, including the specialty formulated ‘pet safe’ varieties
- Ingredient list is vague, so you’re not sure of what all the ingredients are
Best For:
- People who live in moderately cold climates who want a less corrosive product than pure salt
This product comes in a bucket with a resealable lid and contains 15 pounds of DeIcer crystals. It also comes with a handy scoop to help distribute it on your walkways.
Rock Salt
In some cases, using common salt in the form of Rock Salt might be fine for your application.
What’s In It: 100% Sodium (Salt – NaCl).
Melting Temperature: As low as 5°F, but more effective around 20°F. While researching information for this article, I found this interesting set of graphs about salt concentrations, temperatures and how much ice can be melted using just plain salt.
PROS
- Tends to be cheaper than non-sodium salt DeIcers
- Provides some traction on the ice due to it’s granular shape
CONS
- Can burn pet paws
- Overuse can damage concrete and nearby vegetation – after the ice melts, it is good to shovel the residual away from your yard or rinse with a hose
- Natural whitish color can be hard to see where you’ve spread it
Best For:
- People who live in warmer climates where ice buildup is occasional (e.g. southern US states)
This product from Morton is the "plain ole salt' variety: Sodium Chloride in chunky squarish crystals. Packages in a plastic bag with 25 pounds of pure common salt.
Eco-Friendly Hacks
If you don’t have any of the above products on hand, and your walks are slippery, consider other things that you could spread around until you get around to buying some purpose-built product:
Spent Coffee Grounds: Provides some traction and the dark color and natural acids in the coffee grounds can help melt the ice. The bonus is that spent coffee grounds are totally bio-degradable and will naturally turn into compost in your yard and garden.
Playground Sand: If you’ve got kids and a playground area, you might have this available. A small amount of playground sand on your walks provides traction and will just work it’s way into your lawn and garden soil.
Sawdust: If you do wood working, you might have sawdust available to spread around. While it doesn’t lower the melting temperature of the ice, it does provide traction and it won’t damage concrete or nearby plants.
Kitty Litter: If you have a cat, the litter that is used for their box can be useful. Many kitty litters, especially the very inexpensive (old fashioned) kind has a lot of clay in it. While it doesn’t lower the melting temperature of the ice, it also can provide traction. Kitty litter won’t damage concrete and it will just blend into the soil around plants.
While we are considering eco-friendly behavior, you might be wondering about how to recycle the deicer containers once you have used up the salt product. For (an amazing amount of) detail about recycling typical salt containers, see Breaking Down The Salt Container Recycling Conundrum.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about ice melt products that pertain to any of the products mentioned in this article:
How Long Does Deicer Last if Stored Properly?
Most deicing products will last for several seasons. However, the exact shelf life will depend on the type of deicer and the storage conditions. The one thing that makes people throw out leftover deicer is clumping. Since all of these salts tend to absorb moisture, it is quite common for them to do it over the summer if the are not in a tightly sealed container. There you are during the first snowstorm of the season and your deicer has turned into a solid brick – you’ve been there, right?
Storing your leftover deicer in a cool, dry indoor location can help. Pouring ice melt products that come in a plastic bag into a bucket with a tightly fitting lid can help. Another consideration is to buy deicing products in smaller quantities or containers so that you can use it up in a single season. Use the last little bit up by deicing a neighborhood walkway and win some points with those who live nearby.
Wait For It to Stop Snowing Before Deicing a Driveway?
Generally, yes, deicing works best if you can wait for it to stop snowing first. The most important step is to clear the snow off of the ice as best as you can, but be careful not to slip! Any ice melt product works best when the material can be scattered evenly over the ice and is in contact with the ice instead of on the surface of the snow.
Obviously, this is not always possible in a long snowstorm. Just remember to shovel before each application. Snow that is removed by shoveling is best directed towards your storm sewer drains instead of dumping it over lawn or garden locations. Frankly, being a snow pusher instead of a snow shoveler is easier on my back too!
Final Thoughts
We hope that this product comparison has been helpful! If you happen to be reading this article in the Spring or Summer, consider that these products tend to get seasonally discounted, so buying them off season might save you a little money and you’ll be happy to have some on hand when icy weather rolls around!
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Feature Image Photo by Kaboompics.com. Dog walking photo by Leonid Danilov.
Got pool salt and want to know how it might work as a deicer in a pinch? Check out our post about that very topic at: Breaking the Ice: How Pool Salt Can Melt Ice On Your Driveway.
