Written by: Melissa Mohs

 


  Ah, winter… nature’s quietude.  As the north wind blows in, the soil is put to bed, smells of gingerbread waft in the air, the daylight shortens, windows become aglow with holiday lights and warm fireplaces.  Our outside view becomes a snow globe, and we begin to think about the downside of cold weather: ICE.

    Icy conditions are dangerous to pedestrians and drivers alike.  A slip ‘n slide is fun in the summer heat, but on freezing sidewalks and roadways it can be deadly, erasing all the joy the season brings.  Luckily, we’ve found ways to make our commutes safer in bad weather, with rock salt (sodium chloride) traditionally.  Rock salt is inexpensive and effective, but when the snow melts, the build-up of all that sodium leeches into the environment around us.  Studies show that it dries out vegetation, cracks concrete, corrodes car metal, and ultimately runs into our waterways, threatening aquatic life.  Salt also burns the pads of animals, particularly dogs, making it almost impossible to take them for a winter walk.  However, given the alternative of dangerous conditions, is salt the only de-icer option we have?  The answer is no.

    95% of all de-icers on the market are made from five chemical compounds, and generally in the chloride family, with rock salt being the most common.  Also included in this group are: calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, potassium chloride, and urea (a fertilizer).  They all more or less work by giving off heat to lower the freezing point of water, dissolving and drying out icy surfaces at temperatures between 20 to -25 degrees Fahrenheit.  All de-icers are effective at improving dangerous road conditions, but when used in excess have the same negative effects on the environment as rock salt.  Some are less harmful than others - such as magnesium and potassium – and work better when mixed with salt.  These ‘blends’ offer the best advantages from each chemical, and try to minimize disadvantages.  Once such blend that achieves this is calcium magnesium acetate (CMA), made from limestone and vinegar.  It’s effect on plants and concrete is very minimal.  It doesn’t melt ice so much as it prevents re-freezing. 
 
   Another de-icing method gaining popularity in many states, especially for large-scale road crews, is a mixture of beet juice and salt brine, commercially called Geomelt.  It is known that when highways are pretreated with salt brine before a storm, it helps prevent ice from forming.  Experts found that adding beet juice to the brine increases its effectiveness by making this mixture stick to the roads better, as well as working at sub-zero temps.  Results have shown again and again that this integration of vegetable and mineral is creating a win-win scenario; safer roads for motorists and less impact for the environment. 
 
    If you really want to go the green route, there are more products being put on the shelves every year, both non-toxic and non-salt based.  There are also many tried and true household items you can use, and are probably already in your garage.  For preventing slippage on your front steps and sidewalks, you can use

• sand
• sawdust
• wood shavings
• cracked corn
  
• kitty litter
  

   You can even mix these abrasives with a little ice melt to de-ice while using less chemicals.
   
   Other de-icing alternatives include Propellant-49, Magic Minus Zero, and Safe Paw Ice Melter.  All are advertised to work as good or better than traditional salt with the only drawback being their higher cost.  I myself prefer Safe Paw, and because it lasts longer on my walks, I don’t have to use as much, which offsets the cost for me.  The best part is that it doesn’t burn my dogs paws. 
  
    I encourage anyone to research the alternatives out there for melting ice naturally.  Be an educated consumer and an environmental steward.  You’ll feel better about keeping yourself and your community healthier, and the grass will be that much greener in the spring. 





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Burke, Kelly.  “Treating Ice on Sidewalks and Driveways”  About.com.  
    n.d.  Web. 17 Dec. 2010.
Kinney, Terry.  “Cities, states testing beet juice mixture on roadways”  USA Today.com.  
    21 Feb. 2008.  Web 17 Dec. 2010
Leonard, John.  “Non-Toxic Ways to Melt Ice & Snow”  eHow.com.  
    31 Jan. 2010.  Web 17 Dec. 2010.