Awesome Homemade DIY Deicer for Your Home Using Items You Already Have

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What can be used as a deicer? As we all know the winter months bring cold weather in many parts of the United States. With all the sub-zero temperatures on the way, I wanted to make a liquid-form DIY deicer that I could use on hard surfaces. 

There are several different types of ice melt on the market, some are liquid de-icers and others come in the form of a solid deicer. Ice melt products commonly contain sodium chloride or rock salt, calcium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium chloride, and/or urea, also known as carbonyl diamide. I’m sure we have all heard about the environmental impact these different products can have so I decided to try to make my own ice removal product using all natural ingredients. I did some research on DIY de-icing agents, and decided on a recipe to try and put it to the test. Here are my results for you.

DIY Deicer – My Simple Recipe

For my test, I mixed together the following:

2 cups hot water water

I added 1 cup rubbing alcohol with a higher alcohol content. I used the highest percentage I could buy at Walmart.

Last I added 1/4 cup Dawn dish soap and mixed it together.

The alcohol and Dawn are the key ingredients in this solution as it takes a colder temperature to freeze. Rubbing alcohol has a much lower freezing point than water (128°F below 0).

If you don’t like Dawn and want to be more eco-friendly you can use a natural soap like Castile soap.

You can use this liquid ice melt right away or put it in a bucket to save for when you’re ready.

Now for the test!

After a recent snowfall, we used a snow shovel to clear a walkway and there was that really slick ice under the snow.

I poured the mixture onto the ice. You could watch it starting to work right away and melt the snow and ice. This was thinner ice so you’d probably need more to melt away thicker ice. You can make more of the mixture for bigger surfaces. I do believe that if the ground surface remained wet during extremely cold temperatures the solution could freeze up again when the pavement temperature drops. I recommend doing it early in the day, when you have higher temperatures and giving it time to dry out before the colder temperatures in the evening and overnight. I would use it again after my experience.

Now, this kind of deicer would be a challenge to use in big parking lots, long driveways, etc and you’d need a more professional deicing product that maybe contains some calcium magnesium acetate in the form of a granular product in a several lb bag.

You could add this mixture to a spray bottle so you can spray it onto your windshield.

More Natural DIY Deicer Recipes:

These DIY Deicer recipes include household items and no chemicals.

1. Basic Salt Deicer

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rock salt, table salt, or sea salt
• 1 gallon warm water

Instructions:

1. Dissolve the salt into the warm water.
2. Pour or spray the mixture on sidewalks and driveways to prevent ice formation.

2. Epsom Salt & Sugar Deicer

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Epsom salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 gallon water

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients until dissolved.
2. Apply to icy surfaces to help break down ice and prevent refreezing.

3. Sand & Salt Blend for Traction

Ingredients:

• 2 cups salt
• 2 cups sand or kitty litter

Instructions:

1. Mix the ingredients in a bucket.
2. Sprinkle it on icy walkways for both melting and traction.

4. How to Use Birdseed as a Deicer Alternative:

1. Spread birdseed over icy areas to add traction and prevent slipping.
2. The rough texture helps provide grip on slick surfaces.
3. As a bonus, it feeds local birds while being safe for the environment!

Pro Tip: For extra melting power, combine birdseed with a pet-safe deicer like sand, coffee grounds, or calcium magnesium acetate (CMA).

More Deicer Tips

We used to use solid ice melt or road salt, however, we found that it tore up and destroyed our concrete. The application rates vary between products, and when you put it on top of ice that can affect how fast it’ll melt. It’s also important to pick a quality product with good reviews as some common deicers are more effective than others.

Make sure to put washer fluid that can withstand very low temperatures in your car. There is always the lowest effective temperature listed on most products, so be sure to check on that also its effectiveness will be based on how much snow (snow accumulation) and ice you have, as well as where you live. For example, north America gets much colder than South America where they don’t get lower temperatures.

Find out “What Exactly Does It Mean To Repurpose Or Upcycle“, save money, and create the most amazing things.

DIY Deicer for Sidewalks and Driveways Video

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Learn more about “Why to Deep Clean and Organize Your Home” to save money, function better, and keep your sanity. 

Check out some of my other winter posts!

• Easy and Wonderful Cozy Home for the Winter on A Budget
• Winter Gear Storage: Easy DIY on a Budget with Endless Possibilities
• How to Reduce Energy Costs in Winter that Actually Work

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