Winter’s coming soon! Some warnings about using salt to de-ice
If you intend to use de-icing salt this winter, there are two things to keep in mind.
One is that, as the Landmarks Conservancy warns, rock salt a/k/a halite or sodium chloride, “should be avoided.” The far better alternative is calcium chloride, the BBG’s choice when it has to use de-icing salt. As it isn’t as corrosive as sodium chloride, calcium chloride de-icer is less harmful to resurfaced brownstone stoops, cement sidewalks, dog paws and plants.
The other thing to keep in mind is that the supply of calcium chloride is limited. Consequently, stores often run out of it as PSCC Trustee John Casson discovered to his dismay last winter. Not willing to get stuck this winter, he found that Tarzian Hardware has bags of calcium chloride de-icing salt in stock as well as 40-pound containers of the de-icer that they will deliver to your home.