Using salt to de-ice for safety in the winter may be
common practice, but modifying HOW we do it can help make less impact on the
environment. This article is shared from the Conservation Foundation and covers
their tips on how to be “Salt Smart" at our homes and businesses.
Find Your WHY for Being Salt SmartBeing Salt Smart means using winter deicing salt responsibly
to minimize its negative impacts. This approach ensures that we maintain winter
safety while protecting waterways, landscaping, pets, infrastructure, and even
our wallets.
The WHYs: Reasons to be Salt Smart
There are many reasons why being Salt Smart is a great
option for managing snow and ice. What’s your WHY?
Safe Roads and Walkways...
Salt Smart practices are the best practices in winter
maintenance. A Salt Smart approach uses deicers and snow removal techniques
efficiently to create safe roads and pathways. Because standard practices tend
to overuse salt, we can easily use less salt without sacrificing safety.
Clean Water...
Excess winter salt can pollute nearby waterways, creating
poor water quality and harming aquatic ecosystems. Because Salt Smart practices
minimize chlorides entering rivers, streams, and ponds, being Salt Smart
protects clean water in our local waterbodies.
Healthy Landscaping...
Being Salt Smart also helps your lawn and gardens. Deicers
often bounce into vegetation next to roads, driveways, and sidewalks. Salt
damages plants and accumulates in the soil. Using the right amount of salt
preserves your landscaping.
Happy Pets...
Our pets are also affected by salt. When they walk on
salt-covered surfaces, salt can irritate their paws and potentially make them
sick when they lick it off. Reducing salt usage at home supports your pet’s
safety and well-being.
Lasting Infrastructure...
Salt corrodes infrastructure and vehicles, eventually
leading to costly repairs. Being Salt Smart improves the lifespan of cars,
roads, bridges, doorways, and more.
Less Waste...
Outdated salting techniques overuse salt, which wastes money
and unnecessarily harms the environment. Using Salt Smart practices minimizes
waste and saves money, especially for large-scale municipal and business snow
removal operations.
Tips for Being Salt Smart at Home: Winter Maintenance
Without Overusing Salt
Once you have your WHY, it’s easy to put responsible snow
removal and salting into practice. Here are ways you can be Salt Smart at home:
• Before you
reach for the salt, remove snow and ice first. Depending on the conditions, use
a broom, shovel, snow blower, or ice scraper. Remove snow as soon as you can,
before it gets compacted and turns into ice.
• Use the
appropriate amount of salt to melt snow and ice. You need much less deicing
salt than you think! In fact, a 12-ounce cup of salt is enough to cover 10
sidewalk squares. Scatter salt with space between granules. Salt Smart
application rates work to melt ice just as well as an overuse of salt.
• Only scatter
salt where needed. Prioritize areas where you and guests walk and places that
tend to be slippery, such as steps.
• Save on salt
with brine! Brine is a mixture of rock salt and water. Because of the water
content, brine starts working right away to melt snow and ice. It can also be
applied before a storm, to prevent snow from bonding to the pavement, making
for quick clean-up. Brine is easy to make at home. Because brine is only 23%
rock salt, you reduce the amount of salt needed to cover the same area than if
you use rock salt alone.
• Be mindful
of cold temperatures. Below 15 degrees F, rock salt or sodium chloride will not
effectively melt snow and ice. At cold temperatures, switch to a deicer blend
that includes calcium chloride or magnesium chloride.
• Prevent icy
patches from forming. Point downspouts and sump pumps away from driveways and
paths.
• After snow
and ice have melted, sweep up extra salt to use later. Extra salt gets into
landscaping and storm drains. Sweep and collect excess salt to protect the
environment and prevent waste.
• Help plow
drivers clear roads easier. If possible, stay home during snowstorms to let
plow drivers plow first. If you have to drive, go slowly and give plows plenty
of room on the road. To help snow plow drivers clear your street quickly and
effectively, move trash bins and parked cars off your street.
Let’s face it. We all have different priorities. You might
be concerned about chlorides entering local streams while your neighbor cares
more about protecting her dog’s paws. Whatever your WHY, thanks for doing your
part to be Salt Smart!
