How to Keep Stairs From Freezing

Scatter rock salt on your stairs. Rock salt will dissolve into a brine which, according to the Salt Institute, breaks the bond between your stairs and the ice. It also lowers the freezing point of liquids – preventing further ice from accumulating on your stairs.

Spread magnesium chloride or calcium chloride on your stairs. Like rock salt, magnesium and calcium chloride prevent your stairs from freezing. Because magnesium and calcium chloride are environmentally friendly, they will not harm any plants surrounding your stairs.

Attach rubber doormats to your stairs. You can either nail or glue rubber doormats onto your stairs, depending on whether the stairs are concrete or wooden. Rubber doormats have raised areas to catch dirt. These same raised areas catch accumulating ice and give you greater traction – reducing the odds that you or a loved one will fall on the stairs

Purchase heated mats for your stairs. Heated mats do not typically have the same raised rubber sections that give you additional traction, but they generate enough heat necessary to melt snow and ice.

Sprinkle sand or gravel on your stairs. Sand or gravel reduces the moisture available on your stairs, reducing the amount of ice that can build up. Sand and gravel also give you better traction when walking up and down the stairs.