Here are the best products and methods for keeping your home ice-free this winter.
Unfortunately, Calcium Chloride can damage plants and grass.
Itll cost you around $10-$19 per 50-lb.
Calcium Magnesium Acetate can also potentially damage concrete.
Itll cost you $20 or more per 50-lb.
Itll cost you around $10-$19 per 50-lb.
Itll cost you $20 or more per 50-lb.
Youll need around 5 pounds of rock salt per 100 square feet for it to be effective.
bag is usually enough to get an average home started and then some.
They work similarly to an electric blanket youd place on your bed.
Trattner also recommends you mix a little sand or cat litter with your de-icer.
If snow has already blanketed your home, youll need to clear it before you get going melting ice.
Once the area is clear, read the instructions on the label.
Ice melt products are an irritant so keep it away from bare skin.
Never use ice melt on concrete that hasnt fully cured.
Reapply the ice melt as needed.
Wear warm clothing while you work outside.
Keep pets away from ice melt, andalways wipe their pawsbefore they come inside.
If it snows again, remove the snow and apply ice melt as needed.
For thick sheets of ice,youtuber Eric Jaakkola recommendsyou use aslate barorice chopperto break it up.
Some warm or boiling water might help too.
Icicles are a telltale sign of an ice dam.
If the icicles are only on the gutters, and theres no ice buildup behind them, youre okay.
If there is an ice dam forming, youll need to get rid of it.
This will melt a channel into the ice and allow water to run off.
What should you avoid using?
Vodka or other liquors, bleach, and soy sauce.
While soy sauce might work a little, it would requirea lotof it to be an effective ice melter.
Its better off being used to melt your taste buds.
Image bystockakia(Shutterstock) and remixed by Nick Criscuolo.
