How to melt ice on paths without harming the surface, shoes and soil: good to know!
Ice from the garden path can be removed with an ice ax and a shovel, or neutralized by sprinkling with sand or salt. But all of these methods have significant drawbacks. For example, an ice ax is more likely to chip away at the surface; sand will dissolve dirt; and salt, if it gets into the soil with melt water, will harm the plants. So what can you do than melt the ice on the tracks without creating problems? There is one remedy ...
No noise and dirt!
There is a remedy that all gardeners and truck farmers know - this is carbamide or its second name is urea. It is an effective plant nutrition. But not everyone knows that this fertilizer melts ice no worse than any deicing agent.
You need to use urea in the same way as salt - scatter it over the icy surface at the rate of 150–250 grams per 1 square meter (the amount of reagent depends on the thickness of the ice). Next, a chemical reaction will come into play, which will melt the ice crust.
Benefits of urea as an anti-icing agent
Many summer residents use this tool and receive two benefits. The first is the fight against icing on paths and parking spaces. Second, money is not wasted, because with melt and rainwater, carbamide enters the soil, fertilizing it. In addition, carbamide does not dissolve dirt like sand, does not spoil the coating and shoes, and does not harm plants, as does salt.
Disadvantages of the reagent
Of the disadvantages of using this substance as an anti-icing agent, one can note its high cost compared to ordinary table salt and the operating temperature limit of -12 ° C. That is, if the temperature drops below this point, the urea will not work as effectively. Basically, this is a completely effective chemical method for removing ice from paths, sidewalks and parking spaces.