New York Rock Salt Shortage – This Can Be Used As An Alternative

With the shortage of rock salt in New York State it has left many scrambling to find a way to remove ice from driveways and sidewalks. This could be a great alternative.

You never know how much you need something until you can't get it. With the amount of snow and ice that came to Upstate New York last weekend, plus melting in the sun this week, it has left many of us with ice covered surfaces. However, getting rid of that ice has proven difficult due to the rock salt shortage.

Many stores around the Capital Region are out of ice melt due to the shortage of rock salt. It's left so many of us trying to come up with a solution on how to keep our surfaces clear and safe. The City of Albany did a rock salt giveaway, but that period of time for city residents has come and gone. Now what can we do?

Rock Salt Alternative

When asking listeners for alternatives to traditional ice melt many of them said to try water softener. I had never heard of this solution, but it has been a pretty common thing for years now. Not only is this a good substitute when you're in a jam, it is also a lot cheaper than the bags of rock salt and ice melt that are on the market.

Next time you're looking to get rid of some ice and can't find the real deal, this should do the trick.

Some other suggestions were to combine Dawn dish soap and warm water. That seems like it might just make things more slick, but maybe that works. Sand was also suggested, but that won't melt the ice. Just make it less slippery. Others suggested boiling water, but I feel like you're just creating more melting and then more freezing.

I'm going to give water softener a try and see if I can't get rid of my ice problems.