A snow plow at work during snowfall on whitewashed streets in the city
Icy parking lots are the most common causes of injury in the wintertime. Ontario winters can be particularly brutal, especially with the constant day-to-day and sometimes hourly weather and temperature changes. Sometimes, it can feel like we’re getting tidbits of all four seasons in a single day.
If you own a commercial property, it’s important to administer thorough winter property maintenance to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone on your premises. For commercial property owners, property maintenance is the law. Here are some excellent salting and de-icing tips to keep your property safe and free of damages this winter.
Applying road salt or de-icing agents is pointless if you haven’t removed the snow from your property first. Road salt and de-icing agents need to make direct contact with the ice in order to actually melt it. If you apply salt and de-icing agents on top of freshly fallen snow, then all that will happen is the snow will wear down the salt and absorb the de-icing agent before it even has the chance to do its jobs.
Yes, it’s true. Not all road salts and de-icing agents are made equally. Some are more effective in certain climates than others. For instance, rock salt, which contains sodium chloride as the primary ingredient, is one of the most inexpensive ice melting agents on the market. It’s also one of the least environmentally sustainable options and it doesn’t work as well in lower temperatures.
The moderately priced calcium chloride-based products work much better in extremely cold climates and they’re more environmentally friendly. Lastly, calcium magnesium acetate, which is a relatively new product, is believed to be the most environmentally sustainable and effective in cold climates.
Ultimately, the type of road salt and de-icing agents you choose depends largely on the climate where you live and how much ice buildup there is on your property. Just keep in mind that at the end of the day, they all contain potentially harmful chemicals to some degree.
For the best results, you have to make sure that you’re spreading the road salt and de-icing agents evenly throughout your property. To make this job easier on yourself and your back, you can use a handheld or mechanical spreader, just like spreading grass seed on your lawn in the spring.
As tempting as it might be to use a metal shovel to scrape ice and snow off of your asphalt or concrete parking lot, this can actually do a lot more harm than good. Metal shovels have extremely sharp edges. While this is great for removing ice and snow, it can damage your property by scraping off the surface layer of substrate. When the ground is frozen in the winter, concrete and asphalt can crack more easily.
If you don’t have the time to research and apply the right salting and de-icing agents for your property, then you can trust the snow and ice removal experts at FOREVER GREEN LAWN & LANDSCAPE INC. to do it for you! We have nearly 25 years of experience performing various winter property maintenance tasks for commercial properties in Toronto and the GTA. From snow removal, de-icing, and plowing your property to wrapping your trees and shrubs, we offer a wide variety of services to keep your property safe and beautiful this winter! Book consultation today!
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