Can Beet Juice Melt Icy Roads?

Our first winter in our first home, my husband and I sprinkled salt on our front steps to melt the ice and snow. The salt did its job but it also ate away at the concrete, leaving holes we couldn’t repair.

While salt is certainly effective at melting ice and snow, its not an eco-friendly (or front-step-friendly) option.

“When the day is done, [salt] washes away and off into our streams and waterways,” said Rhoda Toback in her recent blog post on Columbia Patch. “Salt kills vegetation and can kill fish; it contaminates drinking water, is corrosive to sidewalk concrete and harmful to pets’ paws.”

In her blog post, Toback shares several ‘green’ alternatives to popular de-icing products, like Rock Salt. She recommends Coated Urea, a de-icer that restricts the release of nitrogen, which makes it less harmful to children and pets.

She also writes about beet juice as a greener way to melt ice.

Beet juice?

Yes. It’s safe, effective and even works in Polar-Vortex-like temperatures. The secret is in the sugar; the sugar from the beet juice keeps ice from sticking to the road.  

Another eco-friendly option is sand. It won’t melt the ice but will provide enough traction until the temperature rises above freezing.