Seasonal Free Tips

How To Manage Ice Outside Your Home/Office Building snowmen, sledding and sipping hot chocolate by the fire. Shoveling, slipping on the ice, and using a hot pack for your aching muscles. Whether you love it or hate it, winter is right around the corner, and there is not much you can do about it. The time has come to break out the shovel and restock on deicing salt. Many people will soon be using deicing salt to remove ice from sidewalks and stairs and to improve traction on driveways. Unfortunately, not everyone understands how deicers work and the differences among them. Many people just toss salt on the ground and hope for results. Others shy away from using salt, as they believe that applying a deicer will result in chipped sidewalks or damaged vegetation. In reality, the proper application, usage and disposal deicers will prevent most or all potential side effects. Before applying deicing salt, clear as much loose snow and ice from the surface as possible. This allows the crystals to penetrate remaining ice immediately. Always check the label and follow manufacturer instructions. As a general rule of thumb, use one-half to one cup of deicing salt per square yard. Leave a gap between the surface being deiced and any nearby vegetation. Plow or shovel away from and do not pile up snow in grassy areas. This will help prevent damage to surrounding vegetation. Once the treated ice melts completely, remove the remaining slush to keep the sidewalk safe. Application tips aside, there is a lot of confusion as to which type of products will do the best job removing ice. To clear up any misconceptions, keep the following in mind: Sand - Not a deicer. Can provide minimal traction, but does not have any ice-melting capabilities. Sodium Chloride (rock salt) Effective ice melter that is readily available, inexpensive and easy to handle. Effective to 5F. Calcium Chloride - Fast-acting deicer that is effective down to -25F. Can be difficult to handle and may leave an oily residue. Potassium Chloride - Perceived to be less damaging to vegetation, but has little ice melting capacity. Magnesium Chloride - Fast acting deicer that is effective down to -25F. However, it may leave an oily residue. Urea - Perceived to be less damaging to vegetation, but only works down to 10F.