Recipe for a Natural Driveway Ice Melt

Place 500 grams of sodium chloride, NaCl, in a 10 gallon bucket. One of the most common recipes for ice melting consists of the salt sodium chloride because it can potentially lower the freezing point of ice to about 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Sodium chloride retains a remarkable ability to keep sidewalks and driveways dry compared to some of its other chemical competitors. However, though the basic solution of sodium chloride is widely used, it does have some cons. For example, sodium chloride can damage vegetation or concrete if not used in moderation. Specialists recommend 100 to 300 pounds of NaCl for every one-lane mile of pavement, so if a driveway were about the width of a car and 20 feet long, then between 200 to 500 grams of salt should be used.

Sprinkle 10 milliliters of liquid calcium chloride, CaCl2, carefully into the bucket with the sodium chloride. Check to ensure that the solid salt has been wetted as much as possible. Salt crystals easily bounce off the surface of iced concrete, and can be blown off the pavement by wind or traffic; thus, wetting the salt before application remains another essential ingredient for ice remover as it potentially reduces salt loss by up to 30 percent. Many solvents can effectively wet salt, but liquid calcium chloride proves to be an exceptional choice. This chemical agent further promotes deicing. Apply 6 to 10 gallons of CaCl2 to every cubic yard of salt, which would be about 10 milliliters for a 20-foot driveway.

Pour 700 milliliters of liquid calcium magnesium acetate into the bucket and stir this final ingredient well so that the final solution is uniform in texture. Calcium magnesium acetate serves as another solution ingredient because, though it does little to deice, it prevents the reformation of ice. This component serves as a reice inhibitor. It also functions as a pre-wetter, like CaCl2. Fortunately, calcium magnesium acetate does not damage concrete and acts gently on plants. Apply 25 to 50 gallons for every 1 mile, or between 400 to 700 milliliters for a 20-foot driveway.