By Ron Honig, Horticulture Agent
January 22, 2025
Choosing the Best Ice Melt Product
Homeowners have several choices when selecting products to melt ice on steps and driveways, however ice melt products are not all equal in their effectiveness and safety to concrete and vegetation.
Winter in southwest Kansas is providing us with some much-needed moisture, but also challenging us to keep the snow and ice cleared off walkways. Following are university Extension recommendations and comparisons for ice melt products homeowners are most likely to encounter and purchase.
Calcium Chloride (CaCl2) is K-State’s Horticulture Department’s first pick to use as a de-icer due to its ability to work at extremely low temperatures and its gentleness on plants when used as directed. Calcium chloride has the lowest temperature threshold, working at melting ice down to minus 25 degrees F.
Magnesium Chloride (MgCl2) is another good choice for melting ice around the exterior of the house and works down to 5 degrees F. It is generally safe for pets and is recommended by university experts over potassium chloride and sodium chloride.
Potassium Chloride (KCl) is generally only effective melting ice down to 20 degrees F. It does not cause as much damage to concrete as magnesium chloride but can cause plant injury if overapplied. Potassium chloride is corrosive to metal and is sometimes found mixed with rock salt to lower the product cost and improve the ice melting performance.
Sodium Chloride (NaCl) is commonly known as rock salt and is only effective at melting ice when temperatures are 12 degrees or higher. It is commonly available and the least expensive of the popular ice melting products.
Sodium chloride is well documented for causing damage to unsealed forms of concrete and may damage adjacent vegetation such as turf grass or shrubs beside steps and walkways if excessive amounts are used and allowed to wash off walkways into lawns and flowerbeds.
Sodium chloride is generally not recommended for use on porous concrete and in areas where runoff will affect vegetation. It is commonly used as a product of last resort by homeowners due to its downfalls, however it is an affordable product often used for the de-icing of roadways.
Former K-State Climatologist Mary Knapp wrote a news release in 2017 explaining that chloride, which is an ingredient in all of these products, has the potential for creating problems in the environment. The calcium chloride and magnesium chloride tend not to release as much chloride as the sodium chloride and potassium chloride do, thus not being as potentially toxic as the others, according to Knapp.
Urea is a common fertilizer used in lawns and flower beds. It has some helpful applications as an ice melt product, showing effectiveness down to 15 degrees F. Moderate use next to plants is not a problem, however over application and the washing of the nitrogen into adjoining vegetation can lead to burning of turf grass leaves or plants.
Calcium Magnesium Acetate is a relatively newer product that does not contain chloride and has properties similar to that of vinegar. It is considered relatively safe on vegetation. The chemicals work together to prevent snow particles from sticking together or to the surface. Calcium magnesium acetate is only effective at melting ice down to 20 degrees F.
Blends
Shoppers just need to look at the product labels to see which ingredients are being used. In several commercial ice melt products, a blend of these products is used.
Organic Products
Some natural products such as wood chips, ash, sand, bird seed, cat litter, and sunflower seeds have been promoted for use on ice. These items aren’t normally effective at melting ice, but can help provide traction on slippery surfaces and would be safe for surrounding vegetation.
Whenever possible, remove as much snow and ice as you can physically first before applying a de-icing product.
