Can you use dishwasher salt to de-ice your driveway?

Primrose

What kind of salt do people sprinkle on paths and driveways to de-ice them in heavy snow? Will dishwasher salt do the job? I've no idea where you can obtain grit, especially if you're snowbound in your house.
Will anything else work?

jrrowleyws

Dishwasher salt will work, try a small area to see! You will probabily find you need a surprising amount.

Grit is generally rock salt with some rough stones in to give grip. Depends on weather as to the mix which goes onto roads.

jrrowleyws

Edit: any salt will work (table salt etc...). Isnt much else you can use which isnt harmful to the environment. I guess you could use KCl which apparently works better, its a different salt. Water softner salt is fairly cheap usually (£15 for about 20kg if I remember correctly).
Many DIY/Builders merchants will usually stock bags of grit

--> normal edit wouldnt work... dont know why!

987654

cat litter will work

BrownGirl

Our shops are out of cheap salt and the sheds have been told they can't sell grit to public (the Council stocks are nearly out and they need it all) - if you're planning on making special trip to buy anything might be best to ring shops first and check they have it in stock.

CKdesigner

Hi

I think garden centres sell grit as well.

laurel7172

I noticed the supermarket was out of dishwasher salt....

There's actually nothing magic about salt, as such. It's simply that adding an impurity to any liquid lowers its melting point. That's why KCl is better: an atom of potassium is smaller than an atom of sodium, therefore more particles per kg. Local authorities use salt because it's cheap.

But in a push, anything soluble and non poisonous would do, really.

frogglet

My mother always used to used the ashes off the fire.

keith969

laurel7172 wrote: »

That's why KCl is better: an atom of potassium is smaller than an atom of sodium, therefore more particles per kg.

Errm, its not smaller. Potassium has atomic weight 39, Sodium is 23.

roddydogs

Must be a wind-up

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just how much "Dishwasher salt" do you have?

moonrakerz

jrrowleyws wrote: »

Water softner salt is fairly cheap usually (£15 for about 20kg if I remember correctly).

:eek::eek: I just paid £5.50 + VAT for 25kg !