ice by the front door

[bag13msu]

So we bought our first house this summer and chicago has gotten a good snow. day i noticed a good amount of ice  in porch out side the front door. how do you deal with ice? rock salt? something else?/  thanks

[sjh722]

Salt.

[prazenjc]

salt

[sierramist03]

Ice melt aka salt

[auntie]

Salt isn't ideal. It can damage concrete and isn't great for dog's feet and your flooring when tracked.

Prevention is better. Do you have an overflowing gutter? Did you not clean snow away and let it get packed and icy? I use ice melt as an emergency, like after an ice storm, or playground sand if I have it on hand. Then I put a big rag rug on the other side of the door to catch the crud.

[Deleted]

Salt sand or barn lime. We do sand the most but sometimes I need something that actually melts the ice quick so I do salt. Barn lime works the best but it tracks like crazy, so I save it for extreme circumstances (like we just had an ice storm and my 90 year old grandpa was coming).
When it gets the least bit warm we take a long handled scraper and chip or if it's a big area, a skid loader bucket..ha.

[boiler717]

We try to avoid salt at all costs. Usually we throw down kitty litter. We will occasionally put some supposedly concrete/pet safe ice melt down in very small areas that we can't remove if we are having company.

[emoflamingo]

I'd rather (eventually) replace the concrete than break a leg so we use salt melt. And I only ordered my husband to get his rear to the store to get some AFTER I slipped down all three front steps. Thank goodness I wasn't carrying the baby because he would have hit much harder than I did the way I fell.

[emoflamingo]

Dec 19, 2013 11:50:11 GMT -5 @callmefia said:

Dec 19, 2013 10:49:06 GMT -5 emoflamingo said:

I'd rather (eventually) replace the concrete than break a leg so we use salt melt. And I only ordered my husband to get his rear to the store to get some AFTER I slipped down all three front steps. Thank goodness I wasn't carrying the baby because he would have hit much harder than I did the way I fell.

This. I'm kinda worried about the UPS people. We had an awful storm while we were in the hospital and didn't shovel. We did put salt down by one parking area and the sidewalk & stairs. We have a front load garage too so we can just open that for visitors to come through. 

We do it down the driveway for the same reason. I'm also privileged because my brother knows how to lay concrete so if I need it replaced, I know he can help me do it. And my dad has done asphalt as well. I'd rather risk replacement than a lawsuit if someone were to fall on my property.

[mrs.jacinthe]

When we lived in Ohio, we used this stuff: www.safepaw.com/ in combination with sand for traction and additional melt (sand will melt ice if there is sunshine). It was a good combination and no damage to Dot or our concrete. Or our plants.

[treedimensional]

MULCH! Mulch provides slip-free traction and can re-freeze and thaw multiple times without losing any of it's effectiveness. Mulch is not toxic and will not kill your landscape plants or change the soil pH either. Mulch is CHEAPER than clay kitty litter or any chemical de-icer.
Cheaper, lasts longer, works better, nontoxic and ecologically responsible... MULCH!

[bag13msu]

DH cleaned out the gutters in nov so I do not think that is it. The front door faces west and just bakes in the sun. thanks.