What to Use on a Wood Deck to Melt Ice

Use a Proper Ice Melter

• Spread ice melter across the ice on your wooden deck. Be sure to use magnesium chloride (instead of sodium chloride or calcium chloride), as it tends to be less harsh on the wood. Distribute the magnesium chloride evenly and gingerly; you do not want to use more than necessary.

Grab Your Shovel

• Chip away at the ice using a plastic snow shovel. Avoid using a metal-edged shovel as this can mark up the wooden deck. Break up the ice into smaller pieces and shovel it off the deck. A shovel is also effective if there is a layer of snow on top of the underlying ice.

The Sun Is Your Friend

• Wait until midday on a sunny day to begin your ice melting efforts, if at all possible. The warmth of the sun will potentially melt away some of the ice. At the very least, the sun will provide better conditions to melt the ice, naturally softening it to help you chip away at it and/or melt it away.

Another Use for Kiity Litter

• After you’ve removed most of the ice, spread a thin later of non-clump kitty litter across the deck. This helps to prevent a repeat buildup of ice. When the season ends, you can wash away the remaining kitty litter with a garden hose.