The most expensive, yet safest type of driveway salt is calcium magnesium acetate! This salt will not cause any damage to your driveway, and it's also pet-friendly and environmentally friendly!
Sodium chloride (commonly known as rock salt or table salt) is the safest de-icer for use on concrete.
Calcium Chloride is the Best Ice Melt for Concrete
It has a much lower risk of intensifying the freeze-thaw cycle like rock salt since it can work at much lower temperatures. That lower practical working temperatures prevent ice melt from refreezing and exerting pressure on concrete, causing spalling.
Use Safer Deicing Chemicals
Instead of resorting to rock salt, there is a wide array of commercial ice melt products that are less corrosive and safer for the environment, including calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium magnesium acetate, and beet juice salt.
The answer is yes, salt does indirectly damage your concrete driveways, patios and sidewalks. Bumps and potholes don't just appear due to regular wear and tear – salt damages concrete over time by causing corrosion to occur under the surface, leading to discolored, cracked and crumbling concrete.
Magnesium Chloride
This option is also considered one of the best and safest products for concrete. It's not effective at as low a temperature as calcium chloride, but it isn't considered corrosive and can be safely used around plants and landscaping.
The best option for concrete is often Calcium Magnesium Acetate (CMA) or Calcium Chloride. CMA is used as a corrosion inhibitor in some ice-melt blends, so no wonder a lot of people choose it when they need something gentler on their concrete.
PlaySAFE will keep ice from bonding to most surfaces, including wood, brick, and concrete. Applying a little extra between cracks or spaces in concrete will help protect against freeze-thaw damage. It's even safe to apply to decks, as it is noncorrosive to deck screws, metal railings, and hardware.
Vinegar can melt ice on the driveway when combined with wood ash and water. While vinegar is acidic enough to lower the melting point of ice, it needs these other ingredients to effectively remove pesky layers from the driveway.
Combine a solution of a half-gallon of hot water, six drops of dish soap, and 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol into a bucket. This is an effective and satisfying way to learn how to get rid of ice on your driveway as you watch the ice bubble up and melt away.
Sodium Acetate Ice Melt
This is one of the most environmentally friendly options because it does not contain any chlorides and is biodegradable. It is the most expensive option. Sodium acetate does not cause corrosion to metals. It has a longer residual effect, so you don't have to reapply as often.
The acetic acid in vinegar is a chemical compound that lowers ice's melting point, but it doesn't melt ice quite as well as rock salt and some of the above alternatives. Like isopropyl alcohol, vinegar can technically be used on its own, but it provides better results in a mixture of equal parts vinegar and hot water.
Our top pick is Green Gobbler Pet-Safe Ice Melt. It's one of the most effective and easy to use, and you can use it around pets and plants, in small applications as directed.
Water And Vinegar Ice Melt:
All you need is a spray bottle, water, and vinegar. The water and vinegar mix needs to be in the ratio of 1:3 that is 1 part of water and the other three parts vinegar. Give the solution a good mix before using.
Salt does not chemically react with hardened concrete. Salt does however lower the freezing point of water, attract moisture, and increase pressure of frozen water.
Shovel Early, Shovel Often
Removing fresh snow before it has a chance to harden into ice is the best method to keep your pavement clear. Deicers work best when there is only a thin layer of snow or ice that needs to be melted, so shovel first, break up any ice patches you can and then add the salt.
Pavement, a paving company based in Pennsylvania. American Home Shield said you can try table salt, but don't use a lot because it could harm grass and plants. Epsom salt also works but is more expensive. Sugar works like salt, but is again more expensive than table salt.
Rock Salt
The most common way to de-ice your driveway is to use rock salt. We drop about five-million tonnes of the stuff every year to prevent our driveways, steps and sidewalks from becoming mini skating rinks. The benefit: it's cheap and available everywhere.
Directions: To a half gallon of warm water, add four tablespoons of rubbing alcohol. Then add one teaspoon, or about six drops, of Dawn dish soap. Mix together. Pour this mixture directly on any icy surface.
Calcium chloride is less damaging to the environment, including lawns, plants, and vegetation. Calcium chloride is effective at lower temperatures than rock salt (below 15ºF). Calcium chloride is less corrosive to pavements than sodium chloride.
While salt has long been considered a wintertime staple to combating ice, the Michigan Concrete Association says it can cause serious damage to your concrete, particularly new concrete. Concrete is a porous material, so even though it's solid and strong, liquids and gases can still pass through it.
Calcium chloride works in colder temperatures
However, it's important to compare effectiveness. Rock salt is nearly 100% Sodium Chloride and is only effective in temperatures down to 15 degrees. If you are located in an area with no risk of temps falling lower than that, rock salt will get the job done.