Southerners know a thing or two about cooking salt, but when it comes to the kind Northerners throw on their driveways during the winter, we wouldn’t know where to start.
Salt is a good way to keep your walkways and driveways safe and walkable when winter weather hits. But there’s a right way (and a right time) to do it. As much as we’d like to tell you to go ahead and hit your snow-covered driveway with a sprinkle of table salt, it’s not that simple.
Here’s what you need to know about applying salt to your driveway to prevent slips and falls.
The Best Time To Apply Salt To Walkways And Driveways
The best time to apply salt to your walkways and driveway is actually before the snow and ice arrive. “By pre-treating the surfaces, you make it difficult for the snow and ice to stick, and it will be 10 times easier to shovel and remove the snow,” explains Lou Manfredini, Ace Hardware’s Home Expert.
If you didn’t manage to treat your driveway ahead of the weather, hope is not lost. Though less effective, you can sprinkle salt on top of ice to speed up the melting process. If you’ve had snow accumulation, you want to shovel your driveway first before salting.
What Is Driveway Salt?
Most ice melts are blends of the same ingredients: sodium chloride with calcium chloride or magnesium chloride. Driveway salt isn’t the same as what you use in your kitchen, so don’t even think about a taste test.
How Does Salt Work?
The freezing point of water is 32 degrees Fahrenheit. According to Popular Science, most retail salt solutions decrease that freezing temperature to around 15 degrees via a chemical phenomenon known as freezing point depression. To put it simply, sodium chloride (salt) splits into two ions when mixed with water, making it harder for ice crystals to form.
How Much Driveway Salt Should You Use?
Less is more when it comes to ice melt. You only need about 15oz of salt (enough to fill a coffee cup) to treat an average-size driveway. Spread it in a thin, even layer using a cup or a garden spade.
Types Of Ice Melt
Rock Salt
Rock salt is the most affordable and very effective ice melt, Manfredini says, though it’s not perfect. “It’s not the best product for vegetation like your lawn and bushes,” he warns. “Also if used too often, you can damage the surfaces over time.”
Calcium Chloride
Calcium chloride is also very effective and, according to Manfredini, “plant friendlier.” He advises not to over apply. Instead, use “just a thin layer of pellets to treat the surface.”
Magnesium Chloride
Calcium chloride is the safest option for both plants and pets, per Manfredini. Plus, it’s effective below 15 degrees Fahrenheit.
Think Of The Paws
“One other important piece of advice when it comes to ice melts—even pet-friendly ones—is to make sure to keep a damp towel by the door,” Manfredini says. “Use it to wipe pets’ paws when they come in, as pellets and chips can get in-between their pads and irritate their skin.”
