Easily De-Ice Your Slippery Sidewalk With One Common Baking Product

During winter, icy sidewalks are not just an inconvenience, they are also a hazard. In fact, it is estimated that more than a million people are injured from slipping on icy surfaces each year in the United States. The best way to prevent these accidents is to keep sidewalks and walkways ice-free. Rock salt has long been considered the go-to product for quickly melting ice on sidewalks and driveways. However, while rock salt does indeed rapidly remove ice, it can also damage sidewalks, railings, yard lights, and lawns. This has led many to look for alternative products that can melt ice without the residual damage caused by rock salt.

If you are among those who are looking for an alternative to rock salt, you need not look any further than your stash of baking supplies. Baking soda, which is perhaps the most common baking product found in household pantries, can both melt ice and provide some traction to help get sure-footing while navigating along a freshly de-iced sidewalk. Baking soda is also pet-friendly, so you don't need to worry about your dog or cat getting sick if they decide to taste a little of it. Furthermore, baking soda will not harm plants or lawns and actually helps clean sidewalks and driveways, making it an almost-ideal de-icing solution.

Using baking soda to de-ice sidewalks is as simple as sprinkling it along your walkway in liberal doses. Similar to rock salt, baking soda works by lowering the freezing point of the water, meaning it will melt the existing ice as well as making it less likely for ice to form or reform. However, although baking soda utilizes a similar chemical process to melt ice, it is slower to achieve results than rock salt. With this in mind, it is a good idea to apply baking soda to your sidewalk well before you expect you may need to leave the house. It can also be a benefit to apply before ice forms if an overnight freeze is expected.

While almost everyone has a small container of baking soda in their pantry, few keep an adequate amount to de-ice an entire sidewalk on hand. So, during winter, it is a good idea to buy bulk bags, like the 2.7-pound bag of Arm & Hammer baking soda, so you are prepared in the event of a freeze. Additionally, to aid in the de-icing, you can mix in some coffee grounds to melt the ice and add yet a bit more traction to the mix.

In extremely icy conditions, it can also be beneficial to sprinkle sand or cat litter to provide traction. While it is often thought these substances are de-icers, neither sand nor cat litter actually melt ice. But, they can provide texture which helps both tires and boots gain traction. However, you should avoid using fertilizer to melt ice and provide traction. Although fertilizer does both of these things, it can also lead to polluted waterways and damage dormant plants.