How to Melt an Icy Sidewalk

The winter brings with it bitter temperatures, snow, slush and ice. When water collects on sidewalks in winter, it quickly turns to ice and can cause people to slip and fall. Spreading ice-melting products helps combat the effects of icy sidewalks and prevents possible injuries. From salt to fertilizer, the type of product you should use depends on the temperatures outside and your sidewalk material.

Salt
Fertilizer
Calcium chloride

Instructions

- 1
  Spread rock salt, or sodium chloride, on the affected sidewalk to melt the ice. Bear in mind, however, that sodium chloride ceases to work when temperatures fall below 20 degrees F.
- 2
  Use urea fertilizer on the icy patches. Because most sidewalks are concrete, it’s unsafe to use most other types of fertilizer, as the chemicals can damage the sidewalk. Urea fertilizer is reasonably safe for concrete, but it doesn't work if the temperature falls below 10 F.
- 3
  Apply calcium chloride if temperatures fall below 10 F. Cathy Walker of FacilitiesNet explains that calcium chloride will melt ice in temperatures down to minus 25 F. Most other de-icers fail to work effectively when temperatures fall below zero, with the exception of ammonium sulphate, which will also work down to minus 25 F. However, ammonium sulphate is not recommended for concrete sidewalks, as it eats through concerete.

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