The Safer Way To Remove Snow And Ice From Your Driveway

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When winter comes around, your driveway is usually the first thing to give you a headache. You wake up on a cold morning, you notice ice forming on the ground, and suddenly you're rushing to take care of it before it gets worse. This familiar winter scramble calls for a safe and reliable solution. One famous method for melting ice from the ground is rock salt (sodium chloride), but it has serious downsides. Instead, a safer alternative is calcium magnesium acetate, also known as CMA ice melt.

There are a few reasons why rock salt is a type of winter salt to avoid using: It can damage concrete, kill plants, and hurt animals, including your beloved pets. When licked (from the ground or from their paws), rock salt can make pets sick and even be deadly, and the sharp crystals can cut into their paws and cause painful wounds and infections. Even if you don't have pets, beware that rock salt can severely damage concrete and metal surfaces. Over time, you might start to notice pieces of your driveway splitting off, breaking, and losing color. Instead, calcium magnesium acetate doesn't damage concrete and metals, is biodegradable and safe for plants, and won't hurt your furry friends.

Calcium magnesium acetate is a granulated de-icing solution widely sold in stores and online. It comes in tubs or bags, like this Natural Alternative CMA Ice Melt. While it looks like rock salt, it doesn't work exactly like it. Basic rock salt melts ice by lowering its freezing point. Instead, CMA prevents ice and snow particles from clumping together. This doesn't melt the snow but instead makes it fluffier. It also prevents ice from forming, which makes it safer to walk and drive on the ground without slipping.

Because it works by preventing ice and snow from clumping together, calcium magnesium acetate is much more of a preventative method than an after-the-fact fix. In order to work well, apply CMA liberally to your driveway before a snowfall. Afterward, once snow has piled onto the ground, do a round of snow shoveling or snow blowing as you typically would, and reapply a light layer of CMA on the ground.

Once spring rolls around and snow recedes, you'll notice that calcium magnesium acetate will have left much less residue behind than traditional rock salt. With rock salt, you'd typically need to clean your driveway, but not with CMA. You'll also notice that plants and lawns near the driveway are much happier and healthier than they were after a winter of using traditional road salt.

However, one of the downsides of CMA is that it does its best de-icing work in moderate winters. Once temperatures reach below 20 degrees Fahrenheit, it becomes less effective against ice and snow. Therefore, this de-icing solution is perfect for homeowners who live in regions without extremely cold temperatures, especially those who have pets and sensitive lawns. If that's you, consider stocking up on CMA when preparing your house for a winter snowstorm.