Ice melt products help keep walkways and driveways safe in winter, but many common formulations can seriously harm plants, lawns, shrubs, trees, concrete, and even pets. Understanding which deicers to avoid—and which alternatives are gentler on your landscape—helps you prevent long-term damage while still keeping your property safe and ice-free.

1. Calcium Magnesium Acetate (CMA) – Landscape-Safe Choice

Best for: Concrete, new hardscape, plant-heavy areas. CMA prevents ice from bonding to surfaces rather than aggressively melting it. 

Why it’s safer:

• Non-corrosive
• Doesn’t harm vegetation or soil
• Biodegradable 
• Works well at moderately low temperatures (down to ~20°F)

2. Magnesium Chloride – Pet & Plant Safer Option

Best for: Walkways near lawns, ornamentals, and pet areas.  

Benefits:

• Only moderately damaging to plants and soil as compared to sodium chloride
• Effective to around –13°F
• Less irritating to paws
• Works very fast
• Does not damage concrete or metal

3. Calcium Chloride - Works quickly in lower temperatures

Best for: Quick results in colder conditions. 

Benefits:

• Works down to –22°F
• Requires smaller quantities (less runoff = less damage)
• Works fast

Caution: 

• Still more corrosive to hardscapes and damaging to plants than CMA or magnesium chloride; use sparingly.
• Extremely damaging to newly poured concrete; do not apply to brick or stone

4. Sand or Grit – Zero Chemical Impact

Best for: Sensitive ecological zones. The downside is that these materials do not melt ice, and they may require cleanup later. 

Benefits:

• Adds traction
• No chemical damage
• Can be used in a 50 to 1 ratio mixed with ice melt products for a safer alternative 
• Kitty litter may be used, but do not use clumping or fragrance added formulas

5. Potassium Chloride

Best for: Preserving older concrete in warmer conditions. Works slowly, and only down to 25 degrees

Benefits:

• Relatively safe for old concrete
• Less damaging to plants than Calcium Choride or Sodium Chloride

Sodium Chloride (Rock Salt)

• Most damaging to plants, lawns, and soil
• Corrosive to metal, concrete (especially newly poured concrete), brick, and stone
• Harmful to pets’ paws and ingestion risk
• Increases chloride contamination in waterways

Urea or “Pet-Safe” Labels Without Transparency

Urea-based melts are often marketed as safe, but are:

• Ineffective at low temperatures
• Nitrogen-rich and can burn plant roots
• Harmful to waterways (promotes algae blooms)

Combination Products With Unknown Proportions

• Many “eco” blends still contain large amounts of sodium chloride.
• Always check ingredient lists.

1. Water Runoff Impacts

• Salt washes into streams, storm drains, and wetlands

• Chloride accumulation harms aquatic life and disrupts natural water chemistry.

2. Soil Health

• Excessive salt leads to compacted soil, reduced microbial life, and poor root development

3. Wildlife Safety

• Birds and mammals may ingest salt granules, mistaking them for food or grit.

Safer Choices:

• Magnesium chloride
• CMA
• Pet-labeled products with clear ingredient transparency

Why Pets Are at Risk:

• Salt burns paw pads
• Crystals can lodge between toes
• Ingestion causes vomiting, diarrhea, or worse
• Dogs can absorb chemicals through irritated skin

How to Protect Pets:

• Rinse paws after walks
• Use pet-safe booties
• Only apply ice melt where absolutely necessary
• Store bags tightly and safely out of reach

1. Use the Right Amount

• More is not better. Follow label instructions—most homeowners overapply by 200–300%. Apply thinly and evenly.

2. Apply Before the Storm

• Pre-treating helps prevent ice bonding and reduces how much product you need.  Preventing ice formation requires less product than melting a layer of ice.

3. Use a Spreader for Even Distribution

• Prevents piles or “burn spots” that cause plant damage.

4. Add water or wet sand in difficult conditions

• In very cold weather or to melt thick ice, add a small amount of water to the decicer to initiate melting.

• Alternatively, deicer can be mixed with wet sand or ashes to promote melting and increase traction

5. Protect Sensitive Plantings

• Create a snow fence or barrier in splash zones
• Lay down burlap screens near shrubs
• Avoid plowing salty snow onto lawns and garden beds

6. Take Steps In Spring to Reduce Accumulated Salts in Soil 

• After winter, irrigate heavily to dilute salts and help plants recover. Six inches of water can leach out up to fifty percent of the salt.
• Apply gypsum (calcium sulfate) at a rate of 40 lbs to 1000 sq. feet.  The gypsum will replace the sodium ions from the rock salt, and will not change the PH of the soil.  It can also help to loosen heavy clay soils.
• Adding organic matter to the soil can also help.
• Avoid using inorganic fertilizers

• For removing thin layers of ice from small areas, such as a stoop or porch steps, use warm water mixed with water conditioner salt or the brine backwash from a water conditioner, or table salt
• Cordon off unsafe areas with garden stakes and string or block with frost-proof pots, planters, etc. 
• Cover smaller areas with a waterproof tarp or heavy plastic prior to the storm
• Apply sand, non-clumping kitty litter, grit, or ashes for improved traction.

Salt damage to plants can be caused in various ways:

• Application of deicing salts on sidewalks or roadways near the root zone of plants or in runoff water that reaches plants (damages roots)
• Piling shoveled snow containing deicing salts near plants (damages roots)
• Deicing salts applied to roadways and splashed up from passing cars (damages leaves, buds, & branches directly)
• Salt spray from oceans or salt-water bays, marshes, etc.
• Irrigation with softened water
• Improper fertilization

Trees:

• Arborvitae ' American Pillar' (Thuja occidentalis) 
• Arborvitae 'Green Giant' (Thuja standishii x plicata 'Green Giant')

• American Yellowwood (Cladrastis lutea)
• Birch: Gray & European White, Paper (Betula populifolia, B. pendula, B. papyrifera)
• Cherry: European Bird, Mazzard (Prunus padus, P. avium)
• Hickory, Shagbark (Carya ovata)
• Larch (Larix spp.)
• Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa)

Shrubs:

• Forsythia
• Lilac (Syringa)
• Serviceberry: Canadian & Saskatoon (Amelanchier canadensis, A. alnifolia)
• Siberian Peashrub (Caragana arborescens)
• Willow: Black, Goat, White, Purple Osier, Laurel (Salix nigra, S. caprea, S. alba, S. purpurea, S. pentandra)

Perennials:

• Blanket Flower (Gaillardia)

• Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

• Candytuft (Iberis)

• Cranesbill (Geranium)

• Daylily (Hemerocallis)

• Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium)

• New England Asters (Symphotrichum novae-angliae)

• Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana)

• Tickseed (Coreopsis)

Trees:

Using ice melt safely doesn’t mean sacrificing your landscape—or your pets. By choosing the right products, applying them correctly, and thinking ahead about runoff and plant exposure, you can keep your property safe and beautiful all winter long.