As a business or property manager, taking care of snow and ice is essential for keeping your property safe and accessible. It can be easy to think that applying a hefty amount of salt is the best way to get the job done, but successful winter maintenance goes well beyond salt use.
Salt Smart Practices are industry-accepted best practices for snow and ice management, which means they are the most effective techniques for creating safe surfaces in winter. At the same time, they protect your landscaping and infrastructure from damage and prevent salt pollution in local rivers and streams. This blog outlines Salt Smart Practices that snow and ice contractors can incorporate into their service for your property.
More Salt Does Not Mean More Safe
When it comes to keeping your property safe in winter, more salt isn’t better. It’s just wasteful. Adding extra salt does not speed up melting or make surfaces safer. The right application rate of salt will often look like a light scattering of salt, but it works just as well as blanketing the pavement. Oversalting wastes money on excess deicing material and causes unnecessary damage to landscaping, concrete, doorways, and other infrastructure on your property.
Wasted salt has environmental consequences too. All that leftover salt on bare pavement doesn’t disappear. Instead, it washes into landscaping and storm drains which lead to rivers and streams. That extra salt makes our freshwater saltier and harms fish, frogs, and other wildlife.
Clear Snow First
The best way to create safe surfaces always starts with mechanical clearing. Mechanical snow clearing refers to the use of plows, snow blowers, shovels, scrapers, or other devices to physically clear snow and ice from the pavement. Contractors should clear snow and ice mechanically before applying any deicers. The more snow your contractor is able to clear using mechanical methods, the less salt they will need to use.
The 3 Right’s: Right Material for the Right Conditions Applied at the Right time
Whether it is rock salt, calcium chloride, or magnesium chloride, no one deicing material is best for every condition. The best deicer varies storm to storm. A Salt Smart contractor will consider specific features of the site, weather, and pavement conditions to make the most informed choice. It’s helpful to remember the three RIGHTs: choose the RIGHT material for the RIGHT conditions applied at the RIGHT time. Intentional deicer use makes for more efficient service.
Liquids Work Better and Use Less Salt
Liquid deicers are one of the best tools for creating safe parking lots, walkways, and roads. A liquid deicer is a mixture of deicer and water—for example, a brine made of rock salt and water. Lines of liquid deicer are sprayed on surfaces before, during, or after a storm. Liquids have several advantages over dry, granule deicers:
- Liquids get to work faster: To start melting ice, rock salt must first absorb moisture from the air or snow to form a brine. Liquid deicers are already at this stage and start working immediately to melt snow and ice.
- Liquids stay where they are applied: Granule deicers tend to bounce off the pavement and into the surrounding environment, so some of the salt is lost and wasted. Liquids, on the other hand, stick to the pavement.
- Liquids can be applied proactively: Liquid deicers can be applied before a forecasted storm. This method, called anti-icing, helps prevent snow and ice from bonding to the pavement, allowing your contractor to clear your property faster. Liquids are also effective when used during and after a storm.
- Liquids use significantly less salt: Standard brine is only about 23% rock salt. When a contractor treats a parking lot with liquids compared to rock salt, they are able to use much less salt and still provide the same (or better) service. You also save on salt since liquids are applied precisely and stick instead of bouncing.
Good On-Site Storage Protects Your Materials and Property
Allowing your snow and ice contractor to store materials at your facilities can lead to faster service. However, improper storage can result in wasted materials and damage to your property and the environment. Wind, rain, and snow can carry uncovered and unprotected salt piles into nearby landscaping or storm drains.
To prevent this, always cover salt piles and store them on an impervious surface to limit runoff. Store bagged materials indoors or under cover. Shipping containers are another great option for onsite material storage. A little attention to storage can go a long way to protect the materials, your property, and the environment.
Sweep Up Between Storms
If you see leftover salt on bare pavement after the snow and ice have melted, that’s a sign that too much salt was used. Sweeping up excess salt between storms helps prevent it from being tracked into the building, caking onto infrastructure, or being washed into landscaping and storm drains. The collected salt can be reused during the next snow storm.
The Right Contractor is Key
Your ability to put these best practices into action depends on your snow and ice contractor. Choosing a contractor who uses these practices helps you maintain safe surfaces while protecting your property and the environment. Looking for contractors with certifications from SIMA or Salt Smart is a great place to start. Ask them about their winter maintenance operations. Do they use liquids? Do they make decisions based on pavement temperature? Do they communicate with clients ahead of or during a storm? Be sure to talk through your expectations and understand your contract.
Salt Smart Maintenance is Better Winter Maintenance
Being a Salt Smart Business comes with several benefits. You provide safe surfaces for everyone who uses your property, protect your property from excess salt damage, and help preserve freshwater in local rivers and streams. By working with contractors who follow Salt Smart practices, you can be confident that your snow and ice management uses proven, industry-accepted best practices.
To learn more, read our guide on snow and ice management for property managers.
