by Madeline Bilis
February 12, 2025
There comes a point in time during the snowy season when you just want all that snow and ice and slush to go away and salt offers the allure of a (relatively) easy solution. But is salting your driveway the best option for melting snow and ice—and preventing slips and falls? Read on to find out what the experts say about the pros and cons, plus some best practices for smarter salting.
Kate Ziegler, a RealtorⓇ with Arborview Realty in Boston and with Coldwell Banker Lifestyles in New London, New Hampshire, says that salt can be very helpful—in certain conditions. “Salt works at melting icy surfaces when combined with warmer ground temperatures, sunshine, or friction from traffic,” she explains. “But if it’s very cold and heavy snow is forecasted, salt will do very little beyond making its way into your snowbanks when you eventually clear the driveway.”
In other words, the colder the temperature, the less effective salting your driveway will be. When you get down to temperatures of around 15 degrees or lower, rock salt is basically useless.
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