The Easy Way to Melt Ice You Never Knew About (Hint: It’s Not Salt)

Brooke Nelson


In the dark and cold months of winter, the last thing you want to do is spend hours shovelling ice and snow from your driveway. While rock salt might be a quick fix for slippery surfaces, it's not always easy to find once temperatures drop. What to do?
  Photo: Shutterstock
Thankfully, winter-proofing your home doesn’t require breaking the bank on rock salt or fancy gadgets. You can create a DIY de-icer with items you already own, according to Jeff Rossen, NBC News National Investigative Correspondent and host of Rossen Reports.
This magical ice melter is easy to make, too. In a bucket, combine a half-gallon of hot water, about six drops of dish soap, and ¼ cup of rubbing alcohol. Once you pour the mixture onto your sidewalk or driveway, the snow and ice will begin to bubble up and melt. Just keep a shovel handy to scrape away any leftover pieces of ice.


Why does this simple combo work? Turns out, rubbing alcohol has a much lower freezing point than water, so it speeds up the melting process and prevent the surface from icing up in the future, Rossen says. (Check out more genius ways to put rubbing alcohol to work.) He also recommends pouring the mixture into a spray bottle and using it to thaw your car windows.
But that's not the only cold-weather driving hack that won't cost you a dime: find out why you should keep a nail file in your car this winter.
The post The Easy Way to Melt Ice You Never Knew About (Hint: It’s Not Salt!) appeared first on Reader's Digest Canada.

Would it rêfreeze up the surface if the temperature is below freezing point?

You would need a lot more than a bucket as suggested there

ga10 wrote:Would it rêfreeze up the surface if the temperature is below freezing point?

SIm nghĩ chắc phải cần thêm Alcohol ... nó giống như anti freeze người ta pha vô xăng để xăng không bị đông đá vậy , anti freeze cũng là cồn nấu từ bắp ra ...

Torpedo wrote:You would need a lot more than a bucket as suggested there

nếu chỉ quét khúc từ cửa ra driveway thì có thể đủ, mà nếu tuyết nhiều quá thì vẫn phải xúc bớt, cách này chỉ để walkway đừng bì đóng đá trơn trợt...  Ở chổ của bác năm nay có tuyết àh??