# Should I salt my sidewalk and driveway before it snows? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 13, 2017, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-salt-my-sidewalk-and-driveway-before-it-snows/782110 "2017-03-13T19:14:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2017, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-salt-my-sidewalk-and-driveway-before-it-snows/782110/1 "2017-03-13T19:14:31Z")
After almost 40 years of shoveling, I finally ask this question that I’ve wondered about since I was a kid. We’re expecting about 18 inches of snow tonight. If I salted the sidewalk and driveway in advance, would that make the shoveling any easier? I think I did ask my father this when I was a kid, and all I remember is that he said no (but I can’t remember why). Need answer kind of fast. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2017, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-salt-my-sidewalk-and-driveway-before-it-snows/782110/2 "2017-03-13T19:31:31Z")
I just looked this up and than you for asking. I didn’t know you put it down before the storm. > **[Ice Melt Do's and Don'ts](https://www.cleanlink.com/hs/article/Ice-Melt-Dos-and-Donts--5191)** > > This article features topics on: ice melt, winter care, salt, sidewalk, exterior care, mistakes, winter weather, snow, deicer ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2017, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-salt-my-sidewalk-and-driveway-before-it-snows/782110/3 "2017-03-13T19:34:04Z")
If you put the salt out in advance it tends to get blown away with the winds that typically come with a heavy snowstorm. Salting your walk in a light to medium snow can keep it from accumulating in the short run, but in a heavy snow storm it won’t do much at all. I will just dissolve down once it gets covered with snow. You might notice that minicipalities tend to ‘brine’ the roads with a salt spray rather than rock salt. But even this depends on cars travelling on the roads to reduce accumulation, or plows to come by on a semi-regular basis. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2017, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-salt-my-sidewalk-and-driveway-before-it-snows/782110/4 "2017-03-13T19:45:07Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > You might notice that minicipalities tend to ‘brine’ the roads with a salt spray rather than rock salt. Around here (greater Boston) the towns don’t use brine solutions - at least it’s not common. They pre-treat the roads with salt. Lots of salt. The state has some brine trucks for the major highways I think. ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2017, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-salt-my-sidewalk-and-driveway-before-it-snows/782110/5 "2017-03-13T19:49:30Z")
I’ve tried it, and the problem is that once you get too much snow for the salt to handle, it just turns into a thick layer of wet slush with snow on top of it. It weighs a ton and is hard to scrape off the sidewalk. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2017, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-salt-my-sidewalk-and-driveway-before-it-snows/782110/6 "2017-03-13T19:51:32Z")
(…Dare we “brag” about expected snowfall in our respective areas?) :o ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2017, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-salt-my-sidewalk-and-driveway-before-it-snows/782110/7 "2017-03-13T20:00:29Z")
When I lived in Missouri, I did pre-salt the walkways, but I didn’t bother with the driveway. It helped keep critical steps and slippery zones safer. (Snow feet not inches) Here in Oregon where we get just enough snow and ice to be dangerous (people not snow), I follow the same policy. My fronts steps turns into ice blocks if I don’t salt them. I get lectured about it and I ignore it. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2017, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-salt-my-sidewalk-and-driveway-before-it-snows/782110/8 "2017-03-13T20:02:47Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Around here (greater Boston) the towns don’t use brine solutions - at least it’s not common. They pre-treat the roads with salt. Lots of salt. The state has some brine trucks for the major highways I think. They might change their minds about that soon: Brine is generally better overall: [http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/rock-salt-vs-salt-brines-whats/22352942](http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/rock-salt-vs-salt-brines-whats/22352942) ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2017, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-salt-my-sidewalk-and-driveway-before-it-snows/782110/9 "2017-03-13T20:15:13Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > I just looked this up and than you for asking. I didn’t know you put it down before the storm. > > [Ice Melt Do's and Don'ts](http://www.cleanlink.com/hs/article/Ice-Melt-Dos-and-Donts--5191) Just bear in mind that this information came from manufacturers, who have a vested interest in selling more of the stuff, and is intended for property managers, who want to be able to tell a judge “Well, we put down snow melt, but there was more snow than was expected,” rather than “Whoops, our bad.” So, take this with a grain of salt. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2017, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-salt-my-sidewalk-and-driveway-before-it-snows/782110/10 "2017-03-13T20:21:07Z")
> [@Azeotrope](#): > > I’ve tried it, and the problem is that once you get too much snow for the salt to handle, it just turns into a thick layer of wet slush with snow on top of it. It weighs a ton and is hard to scrape off the sidewalk. Thanks. If that happens, it would definitely defeat the purpose. I’m trying to make my shoveling task easier. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2017, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-salt-my-sidewalk-and-driveway-before-it-snows/782110/11 "2017-03-13T20:24:01Z")
I don’t pre-salt for snow, but I do for freezing rain. Not that it’s always easy to tell the difference. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2017, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-salt-my-sidewalk-and-driveway-before-it-snows/782110/12 "2017-03-13T20:52:51Z")
Salt will affect icing in a freezing rain, but have little efftct on snow. If you get more than a few inches, there will still be an accumulation above the salt layer, that you will still have to exert the same effort to shovel off. The lower layer will be a denser slush, but the weight of the cover per square foot will be the same lifting. If the forecasters say 18 inches, I bet you will get less than nine, but a few neighborhoods will get maybe up to, outside, 18. Then, if there is wind, the drifting might leave you with substantially more or less than nine. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2017, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-salt-my-sidewalk-and-driveway-before-it-snows/782110/13 "2017-03-13T21:28:58Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > When I lived in Missouri, I did pre-salt the walkways, but I didn’t bother with the driveway. It helped keep critical steps and slippery zones safer. (Snow feet not inches) > > Here in Oregon where we get just enough snow and ice to be dangerous (people not snow), I follow the same policy. My fronts steps turns into ice blocks if I don’t salt them. I get lectured about it and I ignore it. I don’t know where you are in Oregon, but I don’t want to hear any lectures in Portland from a city full of people who can’t be bothered to shovel their fucking walks. Lazy, inconsiderate assholes. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2017, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-salt-my-sidewalk-and-driveway-before-it-snows/782110/14 "2017-03-13T22:41:11Z")
They pre-salted the road in my neighborhood for the first time ever this afternoon. I think they’re remembering the last heavy snow, when we got almost two feet. Not that a little rock salt is going to help much if we get that much snow. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2017, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-salt-my-sidewalk-and-driveway-before-it-snows/782110/15 "2017-03-13T22:54:58Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > So, take this with a grain of salt. I saw what you did there! Short… subtle… scrapes across the teeth of the reader like the sound of an aluminum shovel dragging across concrete at 20°F. Nice…! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2017, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-salt-my-sidewalk-and-driveway-before-it-snows/782110/16 "2017-03-13T23:46:15Z")
Huh. Brine. I wonder if folks are thinking about liquid magnesium chloride. It is a type of salt. Colorado uses lot’s of the stuff, and sometimes put’s it down before a snow. It’s kinda ‘goopy’ and makes a mess out of your car if they just put it down. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2017, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-salt-my-sidewalk-and-driveway-before-it-snows/782110/17 "2017-03-14T02:41:26Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > …there will still be an accumulation above the salt layer, that you will still have to exert the same effort to shovel off. The lower layer will be a denser slush, but the weight of the cover per square foot will be the same lifting. Shoveling is MUCH harder with the slushy stuff on the bottom. You expend a lot of energy getting the shovel below the slush > [@](#): > > If the forecasters say 18 inches, I bet you will get less than nine, but a few neighborhoods will get maybe up to, outside, 18. Then, if there is wind, the drifting might leave you with substantially more or less than nine. I hope you’re right, but I’m not very confident. Here in northern NJ, they seem to get the forecasts pretty dead on. It always amazes me how accurate they’ve been over the past decade. If anything, snowfall amounts over the past few years have come in higher than forecast, iirc. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2017, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-salt-my-sidewalk-and-driveway-before-it-snows/782110/18 "2017-03-14T03:05:49Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I don’t know where you are in Oregon, but I don’t want to hear any lectures in Portland from a city full of people who can’t be bothered to shovel their fucking walks. Lazy, inconsiderate assholes. (South of Salem) Oregon has proud record of frowning on the use of salt and they’re not shy about sharing their disapproval. Suck it folks. I like my sidewalk clear. I like my walkway to the door clear. I can drive over the mounds in the driveway, but all I need is to break my other leg on a step, or have my 70 year old neighbor slip and fall. ---
**Author:** ![ckalli1998](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a3d4f5/32.png) [@ckalli1998](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ckalli1998)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2017, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-salt-my-sidewalk-and-driveway-before-it-snows/782110/19 "2017-03-14T03:07:45Z")
I believe in the free-market system. How’s about paying some high school students to help you with your driveway? ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2017, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-salt-my-sidewalk-and-driveway-before-it-snows/782110/20 "2017-03-14T03:46:32Z")
Rain changing to snow or high winds, I don’t pretreat. Most times for what we get here I do. Even if we get totally dumped on and the salt/ice melter gets overwhelmed, I feel it helps make the remained easier to shovel. Of course, I have very thick sandstone slabs for a sidewalk so damage isn’t a real concern for me but even if I had standard concrete I feel I would probably do the same. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-salt-my-sidewalk-and-driveway-before-it-snows/782110.md?page=2)