
Deicing Salts: Are There Pet-Safe and Eco-Friendly Options?
While winter may seem like a slow time for gardening, there’s still plenty to do to keep your landscape River-Friendly. One thing to consider is deicing salts used on icy paths and driveways. While they help melt ice and make our roads and walking surfaces safer during the winter months, they also can harm our pets and the environment. Why Are Deicing Salts Bad? There are lots of different deicing and anti-icing chemicals on the market, but the most common and affordable is rock salt (sodium chloride). Salt does a good job of melting ice because when sodium and chloride dissolve, they lower the freezing point of water by disrupting water molecules’ ability to bond together and form ice. But once the sodium and chloride break apart, they persist in the…