[HardDaysKnight]

Anyone hear of using kitty litter on paver walks for traction?
We are in an ice storm now.

[Lanelle]

Check your PM for my reply. I'll post it here shortly.

[Lanelle]

Kitty Litter for Traction = Good Idea, Bad Idea

Kitty Litter has been recommended as an emergency traction aid.
Often people are advised to carry a bag in their car to use if they get stuck. So that is a good idea.

Putting Kitty Litter out on a paved surface that is going to be used for pedestrian traffic is a bad idea. Here's why.

Kitty litter is made of a dried clay so at first it is a gritty substance that gives traction for a short period of time. But after it absorbs water-what it is designed to do- it turns into slippery clay that is very slick. This has been the cause for litigation and I think some products even warn against using it on icy surfaces.

[Stonehenge]

Sounds like sand might be the better option, eh?

[Helios]

When I lived in Austria they used a coarse gravel which seemed to work well on ice. Not sure of the exact size- seems like it was in the 4-6mm range, maybe slightly smaller (kitty litter size particles). Good traction, even when there was some ice melt in the afternoon- you could hear/feel it crunch under your feet. I think it also had the benefit of being relatively easy to clean up in the spring.

[Pelican]

Cat litter is a short term emergency traction aid, but as Lanelle stated, it is short lived. It's ok for getting your car out of a jam, but I wouldn't use it for walkways. As stated, once it absorbs water it turns to slippery mud which will get tracked inside. The resulting mud will also freeze to the pavement surface making cleanup nearly impossible.

[GLAN]

Sand. Or Ice melt........Ice melt go back next day and chop

I know man.........this recent Ice storm realy sucks.


Yesterday I had 3 guys and myself and in 6 hours we only did 3 houses.


After 2 days of walks and residential work..........My guys won't come in today.......Other of my summer employees are not returning calls.......I asked the guy that called me this morning if they had anyone willing to work and make some extra $........nothing. So now I am going to go out and and try to do some myself.

I do think that later in the day 2 homes I will be able to back drag the driveway with the plow. I threw down ice melt over everything yesterday and temps are supposed to get to 38. Looking out my window I can see some, not much but some melting of my own concrete driveway that had some ice still on it.......but then again my front faces south.............What I have yet to do are those that their fronts face North