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Both rock salt and ice melt are naturally occurring salts. Rock salt is sodium chloride, which is the same as table salt. Ice melt products can be made from a combination of salts like magnesium chloride and calcium chloride or can be those salts alone.

Rock salt comes in large crystals, so it helps provide traction on icy surfaces, whereas ice melt products need to be mixed with sand to provide traction. Ice melt products work at lower temperatures than rock salt, so they might be a better choice if you have a harsh winter climate.

It can be dangerous to remove icicles from your roof, so the best option is to treat the underlying issue instead, usually by ensuring proper insulation in your home. If you’re concerned about immediate damage, you can hire a professional to remove the icicles and the snow accumulation on your home to prevent the issue from recurring. Just make sure you use a long-term solution, too, like addressing insulation problems or installing roof heating coils on your roof.

The best time to hire a snow removal professional is long before snow falls in your area. Signing up for a seasonal contract not only provides peace of mind that your property will be cleared every time it snows, but it’s also often more affordable to sign a contract than paying for one-off services. If you prefer one-off shoveling services, you should contact your snow removal company the day before a storm is expected to schedule service. You can also call the morning of the snowfall, but this might result in delays.

Whether salt melts ice overnight will depend on how low the temperature drops. If temperatures stay around 30 degrees Fahrenheit, you can count on salt melting ice overnight. Otherwise, the lower temperatures get, the less effective the salt is in melting ice, and the more likely you’ll wake up with a slippery driveway the next day.