A major winter storm is on track to hit many parts of the country this weekend, affecting more than 230 million people, with freezing temperatures and up to 12 inches of snow accumulation expected in some areas. Rock salt and ice melt are becoming hard to find in the Midwest and the Northeast, particularly in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, impacting municipalities and homeowners alike. The shortage is not new to some of these areas; similar shortages occurred last year. Some of the main factors driving rock salt shortages are the continued freezing temperatures that started earlier this winter, freezing rain, and shipping delays. Here’s what you need to know about the shortages, how it’s impacting travel, and what to do if you can’t find rock salt.
Where Have Rock Salt Shortages Been Happening?
Snow removal contractors, small businesses, and homeowners across parts of New York, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and Ontario, Canada, are experiencing a shortage of rock salt. The rock salt shortage is not only making it difficult for counties and cities to keep roads clear; it’s also driving prices up, affecting both small businesses and homeowners. Where I live in Long Island, New York, many Home Depot and Lowe’s stores have run out of or have low stock in these items ahead of this weekend’s snowstorm.
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Aaron Strickland, owner of Mr. Trim Lawn & Garden Services, knows how a rock salt shortage can make things difficult during a storm. “I’ve seen firsthand how rock salt shortages can complicate storm prep and ice management, but homeowners still have solid options if they plan ahead. In my operation, we rely on pickled sand, commonly known as sand-salt mix.” While sand-salt mix doesn’t have the melting potential of rock salt or treated salt, it can provide some melting capabilities and traction when regular rock salt is hard to come by.
Related: How to Salt Your Driveway to Keep Pets and Plants Safe
How Will Rock Salt Shortages Affect Travel?
Due to the rock salt and ice melt shortages, municipalities across the country, including towns in Cleveland, have had to make the tough decision to salt only the main roads, leaving residential side streets untreated. Residents of affected areas should travel only when necessary and when it is safe to do so.
What’s Causing the Ice Melt Shortages?
Together, ongoing freezing temperatures, back-to-back snowstorms, and shipping delays have been leading to rock salt shortages. Naturally, every time there’s a big storm, the use of rock salt increases, depleting the supply in stock. Even contractors, who normally bulk order their supplies, were having to turn to their local hardware stores to get salt melt early in January in Green Bay, Wisconsin, due to a lack of rock salt inventory.
Related: How to Open a Frozen Car Door Without Wrecking Your Vehicle
What Should You Do if You Can’t Find Rock Salt? Try These Rock-Salt Alternatives
Experts recommend using a mix of sand and gravel for traction and keeping your driveways and walkways clear of snow by shoveling or snowblowing more often. This can help with slippery surfaces.
Brian Carelli, owner of Mid-State Asphalt in Wisconsin, who also provides snow removal services in the winter, recommends homeowners “check if calcium/magnesium chloride salt is available. It costs more and is often labeled/sold as being pet-friendly. Because it costs more, it is often the last to disappear from shelves.”
Other products containing sodium chloride, AKA salt, can be used as an alternative to ice melt. Water-softener salt pellets and pool salt are a safe alternative to rock salt. Although these aren’t as efficient as salt rock or calcium chloride pellets, they’re still a good alternative to use when no other option is available.
Related: Historic Winter Storm Expected to Impact 33 States Friday. Here’s How to Prepare Now!
Gene Caballero, co-founder of GreenPal, recommends using “sand or kitty litter because they are both great for traction. They don’t melt ice, but they make surfaces much easier to walk on. Calcium magnesium acetate works well and will actually melt ice without damaging plants or concrete.”
Potassium acetate, a liquid de-icer, is expensive but works very well. Rubbing alcohol, sugar beet juice, baking soda, and fertilizers that are high in nitrogen are all rock-salt alternatives that can lower the freezing point of ice, thereby helping to melt it. Coffee grounds and wood ash can add further traction in a pinch.
Related: DIY Ice Melt: How to Make Homemade De-Icer Spray for Walkways and Windshields
