With the country well and truly in the grip of winter, one thing’s for sure – snow and ice will be on the way too. And while it might look pretty, trips and slips are a common occurrence at this time of year.
Dangerous black ice on driveways and pavements can be the cause of many accidents and injuries. Black ice forms when water freezes resulting in the ice looking ‘wet’ which can be deceptive and dangerous to pedestrians and drivers.
It is therefore common sense to clear snow and ice from your property to avoid any nasty falls. There is a quick and easy way to melt ice and snow and the best part is you will most likely have it in your kitchen cupboard, so there is no need to venture out to buy specific products for the job.
Salt will do the job just as well as the products on sale in the stores. Ordinary table salt or dishwasher salt will be just as effective in melting the snow and ice.
When salt is applied to ice, it lowers the freezing point of water, which causes the ice to melt at lower temperatures. You can buy 750g of cooking salt for just 65p at Sainsbury’s, Asda, or Morrisons.
Another option for treating treacherous driveways is to use sand.. You might have this in your garden shed and it will also work. While it won’t melt the ice as salt does, it can be used to make the surface less slippy to walk on.
It is not advisable to use the contents of the grit bins which are filled by councils as this is needed to keep roads free of snow and ice and avoid accidents.
And ash will also work if you have some handy from a hearth. Fireplace ashes primarily provide traction on icy and snowy. surfaces . Also, when spread on the problem area it also darkens it which helps the area absorb more of the sun’s heat and therefore speeds up the thawing process.
The Department for Transport urges people not to use water to clear ice – as this can make conditions worse and turn to perilous black ice.
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