Deicing Tips for Winter Safety

Key Takeaways

• Deicing helps reduce injuries and damage to homes and vehicles.
• Salt is easy and inexpensive but loses effectiveness below 15°F and can damage concrete and plants.
• Isopropyl alcohol spray works in extreme cold and will not harm concrete, but application can be tedious on long surfaces like driveways.
• For windshields, use the defrost setting, never idle in an enclosed space or leave the car unattended, and never use water.

Deicing around your home can help increase safety, prevent injuries, and reduce damage to important home items. It can also stop small issues, like frozen pipes or blocked walkways, from turning into major, costly problems like flooding or fall injuries. Use these tips to properly deice your walkway/driveway, car windshield, and hose bibs/frozen pipes.

What’s the Safest Way to Deice My Driveway and Walkways Without Damaging Concrete or Plans?  

There are a few good deicers for walkways and driveways. Any of the following will do the job, but some may come with unintended consequences.

What are the best ways to deice my walkway or driveway without damaging plants or concrete?

Salt is the most common deicer. It's inexpensive, mostly harmless when kept away from grass and flower beds, and easy to use, but it can degrade concrete over time and is less effective below about 15°F.

Isopropyl alcohol (70% or 91%) mixed with water (about 2 tablespoons in a half gallon) and applied from a spray bottle won’t damage or stain concrete. It works in extremely cold temperatures, though it can be tedious to apply on long driveways.

Baking soda is an alternative that won’t harm plants or concrete, but it is less effective and especially weak in extreme cold.

Can I use salt to deice?

Salt is the most common deicer you can use for your walkway and driveway. It’s inexpensive, mostly harmless (keep it away from grass or flower beds, and pets), and extremely easy to use.

Just toss a good portion of salt on your walkway or driveway, give it a few minutes, and shovel the ice melt away.

There are a couple downsides to salt. Over time, salt will degrade concrete, causing potholes, cracks, chipping, and staining. Additionally, if it’s too cold—generally, below 15°F—salt will be less effective at melting ice. Finally, pets who walk on salt could cut the pads of their paws.

Does alcohol help with deicing?

Isopropyl alcohol (70% or 91%) has an extremely low freezing point and is relatively inexpensive, which makes it a good deicer.

A good way to use it is to mix about 2 tablespoons with a half gallon of water and put it in a spray bottle or bucket. Then, apply it to ice patches, wait for it to melt, and shovel the ice melt away.

A big benefit of using isopropyl alcohol is that it won’t damage or stain concrete. It will also still work in extremely cold temperatures (the higher the alcohol content, the lower the freezing point).

However, if you have a long walkway or driveway, this method can be tedious.

Is baking soda an effective deicer?

Baking soda is a weaker but harmless method of deicing walkways and driveways. It won’t damage your concrete and won’t harm any grass or plants.

However, it is less effective than salt in terms of speed and strength. Additionally, like salt, once it gets extremely cold, it becomes less effective.

How to choose the right deicer for your surface

Here are the most common deicers, along with some important information to consider.

• For smaller areas, like steps, an alcohol–water mixture will likely be the fastest method with the fewest risks of harming concrete, plants, and pets.
• For larger areas that don’t have high pet traffic, calcium chloride ice melt is an effective method.
• Calcium chloride and magnesium chloride ice melts can be safer for your concrete. However, if your concrete is less than a year old, these ice melts can do damage.
• If you are concerned about your pets and plants and are willing to pay extra, urea is a good option.
• Finally, if you just need immediate traction, sand will do the trick.

How Do I Quickly Deice My Car Windshield Without Cracking or Scratching It?

How can I safely deice my car windshield?

Use the defrost setting. That is the easiest way to deice a windshield. Pair it with a sturdy ice scraper to remove softened ice. An isopropyl alcohol and water mixture in a spray bottle can also help loosen the ice.

Never leave a car idling in an enclosed space, because carbon monoxide buildup can kill you. Never leave it idling unattended while warming up, because someone can steal it. Finally, make sure the tailpipe is clear of snow or ice to prevent carbon monoxide buildup.

Why shouldn't I pour water on a frozen windshield or use household items to chip the ice?

Pouring water of any temperature on a frozen windshield can crack the glass, and boiling water can also cause burns. Knives, credit cards, and brooms are likely to scratch or shatter the windshield and are not as efficient as a dedicated ice scraper.

How Do I Prevent Hose Bibs and Pipes From Freezing and Bursting?

Preventing frozen hose bibs and pipes

To help prevent frozen hose bibs, take the following steps.

1. Remove any hoses and attachments. Drain them and store them for the winter.
2. Turn off any shutoff valves attached to the bib.
3. Open the bib to let any excess water drain.
4. If an exterior bib doesn’t have a shutoff valve, insulate that bib with Styrofoam or other insulating material.

To help prevent frozen exposed pipes, simply insulate them with Styrofoam or another insulating material.

To help prevent frozen interior pipes, you should leave faucets dripping during extremely cold weather. For pipes underneath sinks, keep the cabinet doors open to allow warm air to reach them. Check out our full guide for how to keep pipes from freezing.

Thawing frozen hose bibs and pipes

If you suspect that your hose bibs or pipes are already frozen, here are a few solutions. Typically, frozen bibs and pipes only allow a trickle of water when frozen or no water flow at all.

1. Wrap in towels and hot water

If your bibs or pipes are obviously frozen (e.g., you can see ice on them), are only trickling, or aren’t allowing water flow at all, apply towels to the frozen area, if possible. Then, slowly saturate the towels with hot water.

Continue until water begins to flow. Then, check for leaks. If there are no leaks, insulate the bib or pipe.

2. Use a hair dryer

You can apply the heat of a hair dryer to the affected pipe until water begins to flow normally. Then, check for leaks. If there are no leaks, insulate the bib or pipe.

When should I call a professional?

If you notice leaks after thawing or insulating a pipe or bib, or if you notice an obviously burst pipe, such as a deluge of water or flooding, find your water main, turn it off, and call a professional.

2-10 Can Help You Protect Your Budget

Deicing is an important part of winter home maintenance and enjoying your home in the winter. Another important part of enjoying your home in the winter is having protection against unexpected, covered breakdowns with a 2-10 home warranty.

A 2-10 home warranty helps protect your budget against unexpected, covered breakdowns to systems and appliances caused by wear and tear. It also gives you access to local, trusted contractors who can help you diagnose and solve breakdowns.

See the plan agreement for coverage details, including service fees, limitations, and exclusions. Coverage limits and charges for non-covered items may apply.