How to Apply Salt to an Icy Driveway
Sand, gravel and kitty litter all help a car’s wheels get traction on an icy driveway, but they won’t melt the ice like rock salt or sodium chloride does. Unfortunately, rock salt isn’t the perfect de-icer; it can corrode through a driveway or ruin a lawn, especially with heavy use, and can even irritate a pets’ paws. Less harmful de-icing options include magnesium chloride, calcium chloride and a variety of pet-safe de-icers sold in pet shops and hardware stores. No matter what kind of de-icer you end up using, the basic technique for scattering it remains the same. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Ice grippers
- Plastic flower pot or clean, plastic tub
- Gloves
- Sturdy shovel
Instructions
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Put ice grippers on shoes or boots, or at least wear boots with good traction to reduce the risk of slipping and falling on the ice.
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Scoop rock salt out the bag using a small plastic flower pot or a clean, plastic container. Wear gloves so that the salt doesn’t contact bare skin. If a kitchen container is used to scatter the salt, write “SALT” on it with a permanent marker so that it isn't accidentally used in the kitchen again.
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Scope out any particular trouble spots on the driveway -- the places where the car tends to get stuck most often -- and salt those first. Walk from one side of the driveway to the other, shaking the salt container to distribute the salt evenly. Aim for an even, moderate covering of salt -- no need to pour it on thickly -- and keep the salt off of the lawn and any nearby plants as much as possible.
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Refill the container from the bag of salt as necessary. Once the entire driveway or all the trouble spots have been treated, wait about 30 minutes for the ice to soften and begin to melt. Depending on how icy the driveway was, let the ice melt on its own or chip and shovel it away as it softens. Extremely thick ice may need to be salted more than once.
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Tips & Warnings
If ice grippers are not available or there is a concern of slipping and falling while salting the driveway, start salting from inside of the garage. Reach out and scatter the salt as far as possible. Once that ice melts, chip or shovel it off and move to the next section.
Salt also can be scattered on ice for extra traction, but this won’t actually melt the ice; it’ll just give your feet and car wheels better grip.
If scattering the salt evenly is difficult or regulating the amount delivered is a problem, put the salt in a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid. Fill the container with salt. Poke several large holes in the lid and place the lid on the container. Upend the container and shake it to scatter the salt as you walk across the driveway.
References
Resources
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