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Do You Salt Your Steps?
One surefire way to cut through the ice on your steps and front walkway this Winter is by using salt. While too much salt can contribute to elevated salt levels in soils, which can hurt vegetation and animal habitats, most of the harm seen with this level of salt use can be attributed to salting roadways, not small sections of steps or pathways.
You can also try using a shovel to chip away at ice, or covering ice with sand.
Simple Tip: When Chilling Wine, Add Salt and Water
The next time you need a bottle of bubbly to be cold quickly do what I do: add salt and water to the ice bucket. Simply layer ice with a couple tablespoons of salt and pour in water. The wine will chill in about 15 minutes — more rapidly than it would in the freezer.
Make Your Feet Happy With an Icy Water Bottle
If you've ever suffered from pain in your arches, here's a little treat for your feet. It's simple to do, but feels so good, and is sure to bring some relief whether you're in high heels all day or just went on a long run.
Just fill a reusable water bottle halfway with ice cubes.
Thanksgiving Tip: Refill Your Ice Trays
Before a party or a big feast like Thanksgiving, there are a couple of minor — yet impactful — things I always make sure to do. One is to empty the dishwasher; another is to refill my ice trays completely with fresh water. There's nothing more annoying than reaching for ice to go with water, punch, or cocktails, only to find that there's one cube left.
5 Fabulous Gifts For the Do-It-Herself Hostess
She's the girl who makes snake cakes in her sleep. The gal who sends twenty-five handmade birthday invitations to a four course sit-down dinner that she cooks. She's already obsessing about her Thanksgiving menu and testing out Christmas cocktails.
Burning Question: Why Are Ice Cubes Cloudy in the Center?
When I pulled out the ice tray to make a whiskey lemonade over the weekend, I couldn't help but notice that the ice had a cloudy white spot in the middle of it. This prompted me to ask: why is it that some ice I buy at the store is crystal-clear, but the frozen cubes at home in my freezer appear murky and white in the center?
Ice cubes develop cloudiness when water is frozen quickly.
Happy Hour: Save the Ice Until Last
Earlier this week I learned a great tip from one of San Francisco's best bartenders, Marco Dionysus of Clock Bar. We were chatting about the proper way to build a drink in a cocktail shaker.
His advice is something of a no-brainer, but definitely worth mentioning: when it comes to making any drink, from a mojito to a martini, always place the ice in the shaker last.
5 Things: Icing an Injury
If you've ever pulled a muscle, you know it can hurt like crazy and interfere with future workouts. One of the best, easiest, and cheapest ways to treat a muscle strain is with ice, which reduces both the pain and the inflammation. Ice is also a great treatment for chronic, nagging pain like runner's knee.
Winter Walk Time? Grab the Cooking Spray First!
If your pet's still hesitant about wintertime walks, and not as willing to wear the booties as you'd hope, try the tip I was emailed just this week: Prevent those painful ice balls between paw pads and spritz the paws with a cooking spray before talking that next potty break. You'll still need to wash his feet when he gets back in (which you should be doing anyway because of the possible poisons on the sidewalks), but this will at least combat the pain that makes summertime scampering look more like slinking down the street these days.
Source
Do Tell: How Do You Treat Icy Sidewalks?
I've already mentioned the dangers of ice melts but what do you do when faced with steps full of snow?! I want to hear your best recommendations for environmentally (and pet) safe products to prevent slipping in wintry weather.
I know that some people use eco-tastic sand, grit, or gravel to add traction but keep plants and waterways safe, yet I imagine that can get kinda muddy, too.
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