To clear ice and snow, there are rock salt alternatives that are safer for your pets and yard

Associated Press (AP)CenterEN 5 min read 100% complete by By  ALEXA ST. JOHN and CALEIGH WELLSJanuary 23, 2026 at 04:23 PM
To clear ice and snow, there are rock salt alternatives that are safer for your pets and yard

AI Summary

long article 5 min

Rock salt, or sodium chloride, is a common and inexpensive de-icer, but it can harm the environment, pets, plants, and infrastructure. While effective at higher temperatures, rock salt becomes less efficient below 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Alternatives like calcium chloride and magnesium chloride work better in colder temperatures but are more expensive and still contain chlorides that can pollute water and damage vegetation and concrete. Calcium manganese acetate is a more environmentally friendly option, but it is also significantly more costly and can affect aquatic ecosystems. Experts recommend considering the environmental impact and effectiveness at different temperatures when choosing a de-icing method.

Keywords

rock salt alternatives 90% de-icing 70% snow removal 70% ice removal 70% environmental impact 60% sodium chloride 60% magnesium chloride 50% pet safety 50% calcium chloride 50% calcium manganese acetate 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Neutral
Score: -0.10

Source Transparency

Source
Associated Press (AP)
Political Lean
Center (0.00)
Far LeftCenterFar Right
Classification Confidence
90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

Topic Connections

Explore how the topics in this article connect to other news stories

No topic relationship data available yet. This graph will appear once topic relationships have been computed.
Explore Full Topic Graph