Safe Alternatives to Driveway Salt That Won’t Damage Your Car
Ways to melt ice on the pavement without using caustic sodium chloride
After an overnight freeze, your driveway can be dangerous to walk and park on if it’s coated in ice. You can easily melt that sheet of slick snow or frozen rain by scattering salt pellets, but that corrosive de-icer can also permanently damage your car. To avoid causing undue rust on your vehicle, you could instead use one of these car-safe alternatives to driveway salt.
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Alfalfa meal
Farmer’s Almanac recommends using alfalfa meal, a 100-percent natural fertilizer ingredient. It’s non-toxic and far less corrosive than other de-icers, while still containing small amounts of nitrogen that make it safe for local water systems. Plus, its rough, grainy texture adds traction when scattered on your driveway.
Beet juice
Some cities are using beet juice to melt road salt, and it’s a solution you can use at home.
Although sugar beet juice does effectively lower the freezing point of water on its own, its best use is diluted in water and combined with some salt. Home Reference recommends dissolving 1-1/2 cups of salt in 1 gallon of water and stirring in 8 ounces of beet juice.
Although you’re still using salt, which is bad for your car, this solution isn’t as corrosive as pure sodium chloride pellets are.
Calcium magnesium acetate
CMA has a far lower corrosion potential compared to other solutions because it doesn’t contain chloride or sodium, so it’s better on your car and on the environment. Traditional salt-based ice melters can damage vegetation and pavement, in addition to your car, so this reportedly pet-friendly solution is effective, though much more expensive.
By their very nature, most de-icing solutions are corrosive and will damage your car, so you’ll be hard-pressed to find one that’s entirely safe for your vehicle. Your best bet is to always avoid de-icing agents that have a high amount of chloride (especially sodium chloride).
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Aaron is unashamed to be a native Clevelander and the proud driver of a Hyundai Veloster Turbo (which recently replaced his 1995 Saturn SC-2). He gleefully utilizes his background in theater, literature, and communication to dramatically recite his own articles to nearby youth. Mr. Widmar happily resides in Dayton, Ohio with his magnificent wife, Vicki, but is often on the road with her exploring new destinations. Aaron has high aspirations for his writing career but often gets distracted pondering the profound nature of the human condition and forgets what he was writing… See more articles by Aaron.