All ice melt products work in the same way – they lower the freezing point of water. However, you have several options when choosing a deicing material. One of them, magnesium chloride flakes addresses the major disadvantages of common ice melt products like rock salt and calcium chloride. So let’s take a closer look at Mag Flakes, the safer ice melt choice for deicing in our region of Washington DC and Maryland.
Benefits of Magnesium Chloride Flakes
- Absorbs moisture and quickly becomes a brine, ready to prevent ice formation when applied early (before a storm) or melt ice already present (after a storm has begun).
- Works effectively at temperatures to -13°F making it the right choice for extreme cold weather.
- Melts twice as much ice as rock salt making it the faster, more effective alternative.
- Is less irritating to the skin, making it safer to use around humans and animals, including pets. A dog’s paws can become extremely irritated when walking on surfaces treated with calcium chloride and sodium chloride.
- Is gentler on vegetation making it a wiser environmental choice. Protecting valuable landscape investment with a safer product makes sense.
- Is safer for concrete surfaces and corrodes metal surfaces less than traditional salts.
- Leaves less residue and, therefore, is not likely to be tracked inside buildings. White, salty residue and de-icing material tracked inside the building is unsightly and creates an additional maintenance chore.
- Mixes well with other dry materials such as rock salt, sand or other abrasive materials.
Magnesium chloride is a cleaner, safer alternative to harsher ice melting agents like rock salt. We carry magnesium chloride in pellet, pastille and flake forms and can ship to anywhere in the United States – or you can pick up ice melt or commercial snow removal tools from our Bethesda, MD location. Contact us for more ways magnesium chloride deicing products can provide benefits to your customers. You might be surprised to learn that Mag Flakes have many other uses as well!
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