Friday

tip-o-day
We here in balmy CT are having the typical New England ups and downs with our winter weather.
Currently the days are warm, and if its not raining the is snow melting. The nights are cold and this freezes up all that day time melting each night. So 'ice melt' products are selling like crazy.

There are three basic choices when selecting a product to melt your ice:

ROCK SALT (sodium chrolride)
Its basically the cheapest of all three products but is not effective below 20°.
Its also somewhat corrosive and can be toxic to vegetation. It also leaves a residue which ...not suprisingly is a no no at my house.

CALCIUM CHLORIDE
Calcium Chloride is the fastest acting deicer at all temperatures.
Used as recommended, it will not harm vegetation. (Calcium Chloride is actually used as a calcium source for certain fruits and vegetables.)
However its costly, and over application can produce oily residue. ew.

MAGNESIUM CHLORIDE
Magnesium Chloride may be the best total ice-melter, and is my top choice. It corrodes metal surfaces less, protects concrete, is less toxic and environmentally safer.
Magnesium Chloride is less irritating to the skin, is safer around vegetation and is safe for use around animals and humans. It also tracks less than Calcium Chloride (this is a big consideration for me).
The only real drawback to Magnesium Chloride is it must be used at higher rates for effective melting. But in my own usage I have not found that to be a limiting factor, since I probably tend to over apply such products in the first place.
Safety first.