Repurpose Empty Detergent Bottles To Easily Spread Rock Salt This Winter

Whenever winter rolls around, it's time to reexamine our snow and ice removal routines. While there are plenty of tips and tricks to make getting that snow and ice off your driveway a little easier, one of the easiest ways to clear ice away is with a de-icing agent. While some people prefer to use more eco-friendly ice melters like vinegar, the most effective is normally commercial rock salt. The issue with rock salt is that touching it with your bare hands is not recommended because it can cause dryness and irritation. This makes getting an even layer of salt on your driveway a little difficult, which is why many people choose to use scoops, shovels, or even purchase a salt spreader from the garden center. Luckily, if you don't want to buy a salt spreader, you can easily DIY one using an empty laundry detergent bottle.

This is a great idea because not only are you reducing waste by reusing an item that likely would've ended up in a landfill, but you are also saving yourself the money necessary to buy a specific scoop, shovel, or salt spreader for road salt. On top of this, liquid laundry detergent bottles are great candidates for DIY salt-spreading because their spouted tops give you more control over where you are pouring your rock salt than any scoop or shovel. So, how do you do it?

There are few different options for how you can turn an empty laundry detergent bottle into a salt spreader and all of them require you to first thoroughly wash out the bottle so that no detergent remains. Then, you will need to completely dry out the bottle because any remaining moisture can cause the salt to clump up. Once that is done, you have two choices. If you'd like a wider mouth on your salt spreader, you can go ahead and cut off the top to make a larger opening while leaving the handle intact. The wide opening will also make it so you can easily use the upcycled detergent bottle to first scoop the salt from the bag and then spread it on your pavement.

The other option is to simply use the bottle as is and not make any cuts or changes to it. This works well if you have purchased a detergent bottle that comes with a spout that will make pouring and spreading easier. The benefit of this option is that you can screw the lid back on and store the salt inside the detergent bottle instead of always having to return your unused salt back into the bag.