Traction Agents Reviewed
It is important to watch your steps in winters to prevent any slip and fall accidents while walking on a treacherous layer of ice. If you want to know how to walk on ice without slipping in the upcoming writers, then you are in the right place. In this article, I’ll tell you how traction agents are your safety aid to walk on ice.
I know you’ve heard about ice melts and might have used them. They are effective in melting and getting rid of ice except that they take hours to work. It is not practical to spread ice melt and wait for hours every time and everywhere. On top of that, chloride-based ice melts can cause significant damage to your concrete, and they are also harmful to your pets, kids, and environment.
Traction agents are your best safety aid to walk on ice when you want immediate results or when you don’t want to damage your driveway with chloride-based salts. There are various options in the market to select when it comes to traction agents like Walk on Ice, sawdust, sand, Kitty litter, etc. Let’s help you choose the best option for your needs.
1. Walk On Ice
Ice is slippery due to the melted layer of water on its surface. Therefore any agent that removes this excess water and gives a rough surface for better grip is ideal for improving traction on the surface. Walk on Ice just does the same task perfectly. Walk on ice is composed of geo crystals and contains two types of granules. The absorber granules maximize the absorption of the free water on the surface of the ice, and the gripper granules with their spiky structure bury themselves into the ice and create better traction for walking. Walk on Ice is an extremely helpful product when you need traction immediately and can’t wait for ice to melt.
How Does Walk On Ice Works?
Apart from being a highly effective safety aid to walk on ice, the product, Walk on Ice is 100% environmentally safe, chemical-free, and pet safe. It contains all-natural minerals and chemicals that are completely safe to use around pets, kids, and plants.
2. Sand
Sand is another good traction agent, and it makes walking on ice safer. It is also pet-friendly as it doesn’t contain any harmful chemicals. However, on the downside, it does not absorb excess water from the icy surface and is only effective for a very short time.
Sand can also create a mess that requires a lot of hard work to clean. The problem occurs when sand gets washed away in storm drains and choke them. It creates a sludge that contaminates the water. Once the ice and snow are gone, an excess of remaining sand can become slick, making sloping surfaces hazardous.
3. Kitty Litter
Kitty litter is often recommended as a traction agent if you’re looking for ways on how to walk on ice without slipping. But applying that to your driveways and walkways is definitely NOT a good idea. Kitty litter does absorb the water on the surface of ice but, it becomes quite slick when wet. Kitty litter is basically clay granules of varying sizes. Once the ice melts, you are left with sticky lumps of clay that get stick to your shoes and creates a lot of mess everywhere. It requires a lot of time and effort to clean the sticky clay from your driveway.
4. Sawdust
Sawdust can work reasonably well but it is not effective at lower temperatures. When the ice is close to the freeze/thaw temperature, sawdust can mix with melted water & re-freeze into the ice.
Get ready for winter with Walk On Ice instant traction on snow and ice
Other Ice Melt Products
Safe Paw
The Original and the #1 Pet and Child Safe Ice Melt for over 20 years. Guaranteed environmentally safe – will not harm waterways and sensitive wetlands. Safe Paw can change how winter affects our planet.
Safe Thaw
Imagine an ice melt you can put down and never worry about. It won’t harm pets, kids and your property. That’s Safe Thaw. Unlike anything else on the market, Safe Thaw can change how winter affects our planet.
