No Ice Melt? Here Are 10 Alternative Options for Montanans

I've been on a quest this week. A quest that has taken me to at least half a dozen stores, all in search of one elusive item: rock salt.

With the walkway to our front door looking like an icy obstacle course, my mission to snag some rock salt has become a necessity. The prompt that led me on the mission of tracking down rock salt? A painful slip on the ice has left me nursing an impressive-looking black and purple bruise that runs the length of my right leg.

National Rock Salt Shortage

It seems that I'm not alone in struggling to find rock salt amid the nationwide shortage. Stores in Montana, like many other places in the country, are running out of rock salt. The demand for rock salt and ice melt products has reached unprecedented levels this winter, with major suppliers struggling to meet the needs of existing stores, let alone take on new customers.

Impact of the Rock Salt Shortage

Salt suppliers are churning out unprecedented quantities, with American Rock Salt noting that they have already shipped more salt through January 2025 than they did for the entire previous year. The North American Salt Company which oversees the world's largest salt mine, has witnessed a 20% increase in rock salt sales above its 10-year average.

Alternative Methods to Melt Ice

During the national rock salt shortage, I’ve found myself exploring different ways to deal with the never-ending ice.

Pool-softening salt, water-softener salt pellets, sand, woodstove ash, coffee grounds, beet juice, and even pickle juice have popped up as unconventional substitutes for traditional rock salt but people say they work.

Each solution comes with its own set of considerations and limitations though, such as pool and water softening salt not being pet-safe and woodstove ash needing to be completely cooled before being used.

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In my case, desperation led me to pour an entire container of regular table salt onto my walkway after I slipped on the ice—though, I must admit, it took far more of it than I anticipated to even make a dent in the icy surface.