Icy Sidewalks Need to be Cleaned

SIOUX FALLS, SD - Sioux Falls only received a couple inches of snow this weekend, but a thick sheet of ice underneath has many homeowners hoping Mother Nature will melt the icy mess. But time may not be on their side.

It normally takes Curtis Kelly 10 to 15 minutes to clear his sidewalk. Today, it's taken an hour-and-a-half just to reach the surface.

"The ice is a little different, but living in South Dakota, be prepared." Sioux Falls resident Curtis Kelly said.

For whatever Mother Nature throws at you this time of year.

"I don't think anybody was expecting the amount of ice we got." Ace Hardware Manager Jason Campbell said.

This Ace Hardware was ready.The Sioux Falls store sold nearly five pallets of ice melt on Monday alone.
"You may have to reapply a time or two but like I said, with the combination of the chippers and ice melt you should get through it just fine." Campbell said.

If you do decide to salt your sidewalk, it may take a little time for that to start working. This particular sidewalk was treated about 24 hours ago, and by the looks of it, it doesn't look like its done much of anything. But when you take a closer look, that salt has finally broken that seal.

But no matter how much salt you use, you'll still have to add a little elbow grease to get rid of that glacier for good.

Ice melt also comes in a liquid form that you can apply to concrete before the winter weather rolls in  or wait for the storm to pass, and let mother nature help you cleanup.

"Just keep going, chippin' away and it usually works-out real well." Kelly said.

Campbell says pet-safe ice melt is a little more expensive than the regular product. But even the regular ice-malt is safe for pets, but the pet-safe mix is easier on their paws.