# Best ice-melting salt to spread with a broadcast seeder? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 2, 2026, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ice-melting-salt-to-spread-with-a-broadcast-seeder/1034340 "2026-11-02T14:28:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2026, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ice-melting-salt-to-spread-with-a-broadcast-seeder/1034340/1 "2026-11-02T14:28:10Z")
I’m being told that we will have significantly more snow in NC this winter. I have one of those handheld broadcast seeders and I’d like to use it for spreading salt (or any other ice melting agent) on my driveway and walks. It is basically all plastic. However, the little aperture and wheel limits the size of material it can fling comfortably. I could use table salt, but that seems like a waste. Maybe a cheap kosher salt? Anyway, does anyone have any suggestions for some type/brand of melting agent that is economical and might work well in a handheld crank spreader? (Yes, I know it’s not great for the environment, but I would like to put some down prior to icing or snow to keep things manageable. I’m 73 and do poorly at cleaning the driveway and walks.) ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2026, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ice-melting-salt-to-spread-with-a-broadcast-seeder/1034340/2 "2026-11-02T14:47:44Z")
Use bags of road salt, it is much less expensive. They’ll be for sale soon everywhere (grocery store, hardware store, gas station). You don’t really need to put it down until it starts snowing or icing. Otherwise if it rains first it will get washed away. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2026, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ice-melting-salt-to-spread-with-a-broadcast-seeder/1034340/3 "2026-11-02T16:18:08Z")
Please consider a pet and plant safe material like an ice melt from [Chewy.com](http://Chewy.com). Many of the jars have a flip top lid with shaker holes to dispense. [Chewy.com](http://Chewy.com) has great customer service and delivers to your door cheerfully. Amazon has 313 hand held ice melt spreaders with purpose made compatible holes, as well as walk behind spreaders. Most of them mention working with road salt which is indeed vastly cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2026, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ice-melting-salt-to-spread-with-a-broadcast-seeder/1034340/4 "2026-11-02T16:30:46Z")
Look for “ice melt” that comes in prills (tiny little pills) instead of the rock salt crystals. Of course you asked for “economical” and rock salt is decidedly less expensive than ice melt compound. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2026, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ice-melting-salt-to-spread-with-a-broadcast-seeder/1034340/5 "2026-11-02T16:36:57Z")
A more eco-friendly melting agent is certainly an option. There are, indeed, quite a few spreaders that will handle larger melting agents, but I’d like to keep my toolkit simple and double-purpose this one. It’s described as being suitable for spreading salt/melt, but I’m a bit suspicious of the grain size it can handle.