Five Reasons Why Snow Queen Uses Organic Grade De-Icers As Opposed to Traditional Salt.
This season, Snow Queen is entering its 13th year in the snow removal business, specifically in the Tri-Cities area consisting of Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, and Port Moody. As well as North and West Vancouver.
One of the things we specialize in is the counter-measures against the formation of ice on roadways and walkways, which is a leading cause of personal injury during the colder, darker, and slipperier winter months. Add large motor vehicles into the equation, and the situation can quickly become dangerous, even deadly.
While most other snow removal companies use cheap, traditional salt in their ongoing efforts against ice, the de-icing agent we use doesn’t have a single molecule of it. This is, and has long been, extremely important to us in our company culture, because salt, or more specifically known as sodium, has several negative effects in various environmental aspects.
Let’s break it down.
Effects of Salt on Concrete and Asphalt.
Once all that salt is just laying there, often in liquid state, it gets picked up by users of those roads and walkways. Tires of cars, trucks, and buses often spray the salt all over their undersides, along with onto other vehicles, which can then create rust (because science) which then causes irreversible, often unfixable damage to all sorts of metallic parts and pipes. Shoes can get damaged, and can easily carry salt into our homes and onto our floors and carpets. And don’t get me started on strollers! Will someone think of the children!?
Effects of Salt on Users of Vehicles and Walkways.
Once all that salt is just laying there, often in liquid state, it gets picked up by users of those roads and walkways. Tires of cars, trucks, and buses often spray the salt all over their undersides, along with onto other vehicles, which can then create rust (because science) which then causes irreversible, often unfixable damage to all sorts of metallic parts and pipes. Shoes can get damaged, and can easily carry salt into our homes and onto our floors and carpets. And don’t get me started on strollers! Will someone think of the children!?
Effects of Salt on Greenery, Grass, and Foliage.
Let’s face it; we’re blessed to live in British Columbia, such a beautiful and green part of the country. Alright, maybe not so green during the winter months, but the point still stands during the other 3 months (just kidding, more like 8!) Winter eventually ends, and spring eventually begins, the green always returns like clockwork. Our cities and communities, along with the businesses and homes within it, put in a large amount of money, time, and resources into making them look great, so let’s not ruin them by using long-outdated technology like salt when there are better and more environmentally friendly options available.
Effects of Salt on Pets and Wildlife.
Unfortunately, pets and other wildlife don’t have the luxury of wearing shoes as we do. Although, it would be hilariously cute if they did, but that’s obviously just not how it works. All that salt is getting stuck in their little (or sometimes big) paws with nowhere to go. It can sting and become uncomfortable. And pets commonly clean themselves with the one option they have, their mouths, which can often mean access to extremely unsafe levels of salt that can be ingested even without the intention to. Our precious pets and surrounding wildlife deserve better than that.
Effects of Salt on Rivers and Natural Waterways.
While salting is a thing, salt removal, unfortunately, isn’t. This means that all that potentially toxic salt has to drain away somewhere eventually. During rainy B.C. weather, which as we all know we get more than our fair share’s worth, many of our fresh-water sources can quickly become contaminated with higher levels of salt, meaning numerous environmental risks to fish and other local marine life.
At Snow Queen, using salt for de-icing has long been a thing of the past. We’re proud to only use Canadian-made organic de-icers that are 100% made from beet extract. Yes, those maroon-colored root vegetables. They are proven to be more cost-efficient, more eco-friendly, and safer for us, our loved ones, and our pets. Dwight Schrute should be proud.
If you are a business owner, or strata manager in the Tri-cities area, or North Shore before you choose what company handles your snow removal and de-icing, consider this post and give us a tap, click, or call if you want to take the more progressive and eco-friendly route.