If you wake up in metro Atlanta to find everything covered with a sheet of ice, you may not have rock salt or a commercial preparation to help melt ice fast. But you might be able to look inside your house or garage for something that will work just as well.
The following substances may do in a pinch, whether you're trying to come up with a homemade ice melt for sidewalks or need to de-ice your windshield or driveway:
Table salt
Although rock salt is the go-to substance, regular salt or kosher salt will also work. You might want to use them to unstick your tires or on your steps rather than on a larger area like your driveway, however, because it's unlikely that you have huge bags lying around. Bob Vila also recommended spreading out the salt while pouring hot water over it. That's because the hot water can melt the ice and the salt will help prevent it from re-freezing. (Never use hot water on your windshield, however, because you could crack it.)
Fertilizer
If you have a bag of fertilizer in your garage, this can also be used to help melt ice, according to Vila. If it contains ammonium sulfate, you can spread it on the ice's surface to make it melt more quickly. However, it shouldn't be allowed to run into the sewer for environmental reasons.
Isopropyl rubbing alcohol
Pour rubbing alcohol on icy stairs or driveway areas, or use it mixed with water in a spray bottle to make a homemade ice melt for your windshield. A mixture of 1/3 part water to 2/3 part isopropyl or rubbing alcohol is recommended, and because it won't freeze, you can keep a bottle in your car.
Windshield washer fluid
Networx.com tested homemade de-icers and found that although they don't all work as well as purported, windshield washer fluid does a good job. Their tester found that it melted ice quickly but cautioned against heavy use because of the potentially negative environmental impact.
Pickle juice
Pickle juice does a good job of getting rid of ice because it contains salt, according to Farmers' Almanac. It also contains vinegar, which could harm your car's finish, so make sure to be careful if you're using it on your windshield.
The myths
Several other substances are rumored to be effective de-icers, but at least according to Networx, they don't work well at melting ice without salt or heat. These include soy sauce, baking soda and vodka. In addition, Snopes.com could find no real consensus on whether a vinegar ice melt works.
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