Top 5 Mistakes Businesses Make Ordering De-Icing Salt
Ordering de-icing salt for your business sounds like a simple task at first. However, it is easy to get it wrong.
Understanding the most common mistakes and how to avoid them will help you keep your outdoor areas safe and your business running smoothly throughout the winter season.
.: Not Ordering Early Enough
When temperatures drop, demand for de-icing products rises quickly. This surge can drive up prices, meaning you’ll pay more for your salt. High demand can also lead to delivery delays. As a result, you might not receive your salt in time - leaving your outdoor areas slippery and unsafe. This is especially dangerous in busy places like car parks, walkways, and building entrances. These areas become high-risk zones for slips, trips, and falls, affecting both employees and customers.
This is why being proactive with your de-icing salt is key to keeping your business running smoothly throughout the winter season. Buying it in advance provides you with peace of mind, knowing that you are prepared in case of any sudden cold spells. It can also save you a lot of money, since many companies, including ourselves, offer significant summer saving deals.
Ordering early gives you time to choose the right salt for your needs, too. It also allows you to set up proper storage, so your salt stays dry, easy to reach, and ready to use when needed.
.: Choosing the Wrong Type of Salt
There are two different types of de-icing salt that you can purchase for your business: rock salt and white salt.
Rock salt formed when ancient bodies of water evaporated, leaving behind underground deposits found worldwide. Since it has to be mined, it often contains clay, which gives it its brown colour and causes it to leave a slightly brown residue. Because of this, it is typically used in areas where this is not a concern. It is also a cheaper option than white salt.
White salt is harvested in warmer climates by evaporating seawater and is commonly imported from places such as Spain, Egypt, or Sardinia. It is mainly used in areas that experience a lot of foot traffic in and out of buildings, such as restaurants, hotels, and schools.
Many businesses make the mistake of not properly researching the differences between the two. As a result, they often buy the wrong kind of salt for their needs.
For example, if you run a luxury spa and buy a large quantity of rock salt to use near the entrance, the brown residue may get tracked inside. This means you’ll need to clean floors or carpets more often to maintain the spa’s high-end appearance. You might even end up buying white salt later to avoid this issue- effectively paying for salt twice.
On the other hand, if you purchase a lot of white salt but only plan to use it in places like car parks or driveways, you may be spending more money than necessary, as rock salt would work perfectly fine in these areas.
To learn more about which type of salt is right for your organisation, check out our ‘Rock Salt vs. White Salt’ blog.
.: Buying a Poor Quality Product
Buying a poor-quality product is a common mistake many businesses make. It often happens because it’s presumed that all suppliers offer the same standard of de-icing salt. Sadly, that’s not the case. Product quality can vary significantly from one supplier to another with some companies diluting their de-icing salt with other materials.
Low-quality de-icing salt typically has a high moisture content. You can spot it because the salt feels damp or sticky to the touch. It also tends to clump together, making it harder to spread when it’s needed most - often in urgent, icy conditions.
This is why you want to choose a trusted supplier that sells rock salt that meets the BS 3247:2011 standard, like us. Given by the British Standards Institution (BSI), this certification guarantees the salt has less than 4% moisture and the right granule size for even spreading.
By using certified de-icing salt, you benefit from a product that’s easier to handle, won’t clog spreading equipment, and delivers more even coverage. This not only keeps outdoor spaces safer for your employees and customers, but also makes your salt supplies last longer, saving you money throughout the winter.
.: Ordering the Wrong Quantity
Ordering the wrong quantity of de-icing salt can have many negative effects on your business.
Similar to not ordering early enough, not ordering the right quantity can mean your business is likely to pay higher prices and wait longer to top up its winter supplies. In the worst-case scenario, long delays may contribute to conditions becoming so dangerous that a business may have to close for a few days before it can resume operations, resulting in lost revenue and potential reputational damage.
To prevent this, take a moment to plan ahead. Think about the areas you need to de-ice and how much salt they’ll require. A helpful approach is to list each location and note its size in square metres.
As a general rule, we recommend spreading 10-15 grams per square metre of rock or white salt to treat ice. If you’re dealing with snowfall, increase the amount to 20-30 grams per square metre.
To put this into perspective, our 10-kilogram salt bag can usually cover around 666 square metres in icy conditions. For snowfall, the same bag covers about 333 square metres.
To learn more about the basic salt spread rates and how many square metres each of our products covers, visit our ‘How Much Salt Do I Need?’ blog.
.: Not Storing Your De-Icing Salt Properly
Not storing your de-icing salt properly is one of the easiest ways to ruin it.
Salt naturally draws moisture from the air. If it’s kept in a damp place, it will absorb water, increasing its moisture content. Prolonged exposure to direct sunlight, especially during long spells of warm weather, can also weaken the product’s packaging, causing it to break.
That’s why we always recommend storing your salt in a grit bin. A grit bin is an outdoor container designed to hold de-icing salt safely. It’s watertight, which prevents moisture from getting in, and it also protects the contents from the sun.
Grit bins come in different sizes and colours, so you can choose one that suits your needs. Bright colours - like yellow - are a popular choice, as they’re easy to spot, even in poor weather.
To learn how to pick the right grit bin for your business, read our ‘Grit Bin: A Winter Essential’ blog.
Ordering de-icing salt might seem simple - until you run low on stock, receive poor-quality salt, or struggle with storage problems in the middle of winter.
To avoid these issues, plan ahead. Place your order early and choose a reliable supplier. These simple steps can help your business stay fully prepared when the cold weather arrives.
