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Prepare For Another Long Winter By Stocking Up On Ice Melter Now.

How to Choose the Right Ice Melter This Winter

I’m sad to say it ladies and gents, but winter is definitely on its way!

Once again we find ourselves preparing for Canada’s most challenging season. Now is the time to be choosing your ice melter — a product that can ensure the safety of your customers, visitors and staff all while preserving your landscaping. The weatherman is predicting a T-Rex winter for Canada this year — unfortunately, this means a lot of snow and extremely cold temperatures.

Having the right ice melter is key!

Choosing the Ice Melter That’s Best for You

When it comes to selecting your perfect ice melter, you’ve got a few options — salt, sand, calcium chloride and blended products.

The most common product is salt — it’s low in cost and effective at melting ice, but can be damaging to your landscaping and concrete surfaces. Salt has an effective melting temperature that ranges between -12ºC and -15ºC. That means if the temperature is below this range, it will not work. Salt also refreezes quickly and this can be very damaging to concrete. For this reason, it’s best used in asphalt areas.

Here’s a little tip from a facilities management pro: many facilities mix sand with their salt as a traction aid. While this may seem like a cost-saving measure, it can actually add hundreds of dollars to the cost of maintaining your facility. Yikes!

Wet sand attaches itself easily to the bottom of boots and tends to get dragged into facilites quite easily. According to ISSA’s 447 Cleaning Times, just one pound of dirt can cost as much as $600 to remove. This muddy slurry can be slippery and can lead to slip/fall injuries — a real hazard to your bottom line. Not only that, but the mix can be very abrasive and will destroy floor finish and carpets if not properly cleaned.

Many end users choose calcium chloride because it works quickly, but I think the cons outweigh the pros with this product. It’s important to know it can be damaging to concrete and vegetation. Since it’s considered a toxic product, the MSDS will often require the use of masks, goggles and gloves.

Who wants to deal with that?

Pro2000 from ProLink: Scotty’s Favourite Ice Melter

My choice for ice melting is a blended product like ProLink’s Pro2000 Ice Melter. This product is manufactured so that the granules are consistent in size. It’s fast-acting, creating the desired reaction to initiate deicing and meltdown. Plus, it’s time-released formula stays on the surface area longer helping to control the freeze/thaw cycle.

Pro2000 is effective at melting down to -22ºC and is safer to both vegetation and concrete when compared to other ice melters. It contains CMA, an environmentally benign deicer that will protect against corrosion. It is safe to use without protective clothing and when used as directed, does not track in slurry and sleet.

If safety and effectiveness are your main concerns — Pro2000 is the answer!

Eager for more tips when it comes to winterizing your facilities? Let’s chat on Facebook and Twitter! Feel free to drop by the Glen Martin Limited headquarters in Barrie where I’ve been the premier distributor of janitorial and cleaning supplies for 40 years.

As always, keep it clean, folks!

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