What Substances Can Be Used to Melt Ice?

Salt

• Salt will lower the freezing temperature of water, but becomes ineffective around 10 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bleach

• Bleach can be used to get rid of ice, which lowers the melting point of water, as with salt.

Potassium Chloride

• Potassium chloride works as well, which is used in some fertilizers, though it can damage a sidewalk. It can be found in home improvement or department stores, like Wal-Mart.

Water

• Warm to hot water will melt the ice directly, though the addition of water can result in more ice later on, and can cause damage to a driveway if it re-freezes in cracks.

Considerations

• Essentially, most liquids above freezing will work at some level, since they lower the melting point of the water.