Many of the residents of the eastern U.S. are still buried in our most recent round of snow. And for some, this snow was so rare they don't have the supplies to clean it off hte sidewalks and roads.
Don't worry, I'm going to go through the kitchen and find what you can use to melt that pesky ice.
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Don't Use These
Most of the chemicals under your sink will melt the ice and snow on your driveway. But just because they can, doesn't mean you should.
You see, those chemicals will make their way into your lawn and kill your grass– best case scenario. Or even worse, these toxic chemicals make it to the sewer and do a number on the ecosystem.
You might have heard fertilizer works to melt ice, while ammonia sulfate will do the trick– it's pretty bad for the environment.
Needless to say, we are only going to focus on the ones that won't do too much harm to the environment.
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Good Ones
- Salt
The road stuff is called salt, and that's because it's basically the same thing as the stuff on your dinner table or water softener.
- Baking Soda
Baking soda is basically salt on steroids. You know this if you do any baking. And due to its chemical composition it is more effective than your ordinary salt!
- Alcohol
Alcohol works wonders when it comes to lowering the freezing point of water. You can actually cut it with tap water to make it go further. A spray bottle is a great applicator.
- Kitty Litter
Maybe not the best melter, but when it comes to grip– this stuff gets the job done! Maybe just remove the droppings first...
- Coffee Grounds
Nothing drives the need for coffee like a winter storm! And if you're looking for a little eco-friendly grip, toss this stuff down for an aromatic bit of anti-slip!
There are many more safe kitchen items you can use to melt the salt. But be sure you know they are eco-friendly before you go spreading it on your drive.
And as always, if you have any of your own– share it in the comment section below!
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Fun fact! If you're really in a pinch, urine can get the ice melted... but you know what they say about the yellow snow.
For WeatherNation — Meteorologist Jeremy LaGoo