5 Things You Didn’t Know About Road Salt (But Should Before Winter)

When winter rolls into Utah, one tool is especially important for keeping driveways, sidewalks, parking lots, and roadways safe: road salt. Whether you’re a homeowner preparing for icy mornings or a business getting ready for heavy foot traffic during storms, road salt and ice melt products are your first line of defense against hazardous conditions.

At Kilgore Landscape Center in West Jordan, Utah, we supply high-quality bulk road salt, concrete safe ice melt, and powerful specialty products. But road salt is more than just a winter staple—it’s a surprisingly fascinating material with benefits, limitations, and best practices that most people don’t know. Before the cold weather fully sets in, here are five important things you should know about road salt.

1. Road Salt Doesn’t Melt Ice With Heat—It Changes the Chemistry

Many people assume salt road “melts” ice the way a heat source would, but that’s not how it works. Road salt lowers the freezing point of water, a process called freezing point depression. Normally, water freezes at 32°F, but when salt is added, the freezing point drops.

This means salty water can stay liquid even below freezing. As road salt dissolves, it helps break the bond between ice and pavement, creating slush that can be shoveled or scraped away. Without road salt, snow often sticks to surfaces more firmly, freezes solid, and becomes far more dangerous and difficult to remove.

At Kilgore’s Salt Lake Landscape Center, our standard road salt works well for typical winter temperatures. But Utah’s early morning deep freezes often call for something stronger, which is why many customers prefer our Purple Heat Ice Melt. Its fast-acting blend performs at much colder temperatures than regular rock salt, making it ideal for Wasatch Front winters.

2. Salt Works Best When Applied Before the Storm Hits

A lot of people wait until there’s already a sheet of ice covering their driveway or walkway before using road salt. However, salt is far more effective when used before snow or freezing rain arrives.

Pre-treating helps in several ways:

• It prevents snow and ice from bonding to asphalt or concrete
  
  

• It reduces the formation of dangerous black ice
  
  

• It makes shoveling and plowing easier
  
  

• It allows you to use less salt overall
  
  

City road crews rely on pre-treatment for exactly these reasons. When you apply salt early, you’re preventing a cold-weather headache before it begins. This is one big reason to stock up early by searching for road salts near you before winter hits. If you wait until the storm arrives, you miss the chance to pre-treat altogether.

3. Not All Ice Melts Are the Same—Temperature Matters

While all road salt can help reduce ice, not every product works the same way or in the same temperature range. For example:

• Standard sodium chloride (rock salt) is effective down to about 15–20°F.
  
  

• Premium blends, like Kilgore’s Purple Heat Ice Melt, work down to –15°F.
  
  

• Concrete-safe products reduce the risk of freeze–thaw damage.
  
  

Utah often sees early morning temperatures below 20°F, which means regular rock salt alone won’t always keep up. That’s why many homeowners and businesses rely on stronger, high-performance blends when temperatures dip.

At Kilgore Landscape Center, our winter product selection includes everything from basic bulk road salt for municipal and commercial use to advanced formulas designed to protect asphalt, concrete, landscaping, and even your pets. We help customers choose the right product based on property type, weather conditions, and budget.

4. Road Salt Can Protect Your Driveway If You Choose the Right Type

Some people worry that using road salt will damage their concrete or asphalt. While it’s true that certain types of ice melt can contribute to freeze-thaw stress, choosing the right product can actually reduce the risk of surface damage.

Here’s why:

• When ice melts and refreezes, it expands—causing cracks over time.
  
  

• Using ice melt reduces refreezing, which protects the surface underneath.
  
  

• Concrete-safe ice melts use gentler, controlled formulas to limit corrosion.
  
  

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, magnesium chloride solutions, although more expensive, are safer for concrete and the environment than traditional road salts. At Kilgore Landscape Center, we carry concrete-safe ice melt salt specifically designed to minimize the kind of surface wear some generic salts can cause. This is especially important if you have:

• Newer concrete (less than 2 years old)
  
  

• Decorative or stamped concrete
  
  

• High-use walkways
  
  

• Commercial entrances
  
  

For asphalt surfaces, our Salt Lake landscape center products work safely without breaking down the material. In fact, properly melting ice on asphalt reduces long-term cracking and improves safety significantly.

The key is choosing the right blend for your surface type. When in doubt, our team can walk you through the best options.

5. Storing Road Salt the Right Way Makes It More Effective

Road salts are most effective when kept dry and free-flowing. However, because salt naturally attracts moisture, it can clump or harden when stored improperly. Clumped salt spreads unevenly, dissolves inefficiently, and becomes harder to apply during a storm.

To keep your ice melt in top condition:

• Store bags off the ground and away from moisture
  
  

• Keep salt in sealed containers or bins
  
  

• Avoid exposing bags to rain or snow
  
  

• Store bulk supplies in a covered, dry location
  
  

• Avoid leaving open bags in garages where humidity is higher
  
  

Kilgore Landscape Center sells both bagged and bulk ice melt options, and our team can recommend the right storage solution based on the amount you need and where you plan to keep it. By storing salt correctly, every bag lasts longer and works better, especially during sudden temperature drops or back-to-back storms.

Prepare Early and Stay Safe All Winter Long

Winter in the Salt Lake Valley comes fast, and once storms roll in, you don’t want to be caught without having prepared your outdoor space. Kilgore Landscape Center has been Utah’s trusted source for road salt and ice melt products since 1975. Whether you need a couple of bags for home use or a full delivery of bulk road salt for commercial or municipal needs, we’ve got you covered.

Come visit our West Jordan location or call us at 801-561-4231 to schedule a delivery or arrange a pickup.