Traction Magic vs. Kitty Litter for Traction on Ice
Will kitty litter keep you from slipping on ice or give your car traction on slick driveways or roads? Are there alternatives to Kitty Litter that also provide traction and are safe for the environment?
Pros and Cons of Kitty Litter for Traction
The main reason people consider using kitty litter for traction is that it doesnât contain rock salt. Because it isnât a traditional ice melt, it doesnât burn pet paws and people’s skin, and it doesnât poison the environment.
But is kitty litter effective on ice? Lifehacker says it is, with an article entitled, Kitty Litter Gives Your Car Traction on Snowy, Icy Roads Itâs interesting that the article received few positive comments, but readers who actually had tried kitty litter as a traction product did reply with responses such as:
âJust donât put the cat litter on your walkways. Itâs clay and will form a paste once itâs saturated with water. Youâll have a hell of a time getting rid of it. Youâll track grey muck into your house all winter. And itâs somehow, slippery and sticky at the same time when it gets wet.â – Todd Bee
âHave to be care [sic] for use around the house though. Since kitty litter, or at least some brands, have clay in it, when it breaks down and half freezes, it can be super slick. I have busted or almost busted my backside when I have been walking along and hit that stuff.â – Fusilli Jerry
Yikes! Traction and words like slippery and slick are not what you want to hear.
Respected newsman Dick Uliano, reporting for WTOP Radio in Washington, DC, doesnât like kitty litter either, at least not to provide traction on ice. Perhaps he has a slew of feline friends at home, so it’s used like it’s supposed to.
Responding to a recent shortage of traditional ice melt products in the DC area, Uliano wrote, âBut there are useful materials to spread on ice to keep both feet on the ground while winter grinds on. âNot kitty litter,â warns WTOP Garden Editor Mike McGrath. Although kitty litter has been used for years on icy walkways and driveways, McGrath says itâs ineffective. âIt makes a huge mess,â he says, sometimes lingering in the yard for months and he argues that it provides poor traction.â
âI was absolutely astounded at how poor choice it was. All it did was kind of absorb and kind of blow up,â McGrath says.
That, folks, is a professionalâs opinion worth paying heed to.
Traction Magic: Better than Kitty Litter on Ice
If youâre like most homeowners, youâve rejected ice melts that contain rock salt because the negative side effects are too significant to ignore. Now, perhaps youâve seen that kitty litter isnât an alternative worth trying.
How about trying Traction Magic, a product that was engineered to be both safe and effective? Is it possible to be both?
Addressing safety first, Traction Magic meets the stringent guidelines of the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration. In other words, the government agency dedicated to maintaining workplace safety and health gives Traction Magic the âthumbs up.â
Traction Magic is also ISO 9001 certified The ISO system is an internationally recognized Quality Management System, and the 9001 certification means that Traction Magic âmeets customer expectations and delivers customer satisfaction.â In short, ISO 9001 certification means the product works.
Traction Magic is not an ice melt (a product that takes time to work). Hereâs why this is important: Many people have spread salt on slippery steps or walkways, started walking on them too soon, and fell because the ice wasnât melted.
The advantage of a non-melt product like Traction Magic is that it gives immediate traction. Tiny, spiked granules dig into the surface of the ice while absorbers soak up the surface water that scientists have shown is the cause of ice being slick. When you spread Traction Magic, you have an instantly safe surface to walk on. And it beats rock salt and traditional ice melt because it is safe for people, pets, and the planet, a fact demonstrated by meeting OSHA standards.
Note: If you want to get rid of ice, the makers of Traction Magic also make Safe Paw, the favorite of pet owners because it is more effective than rock salt ice melt and it wonât burn pet paws, eyes or nose like rock salt does. It melts ice at lower temperatures than common rock salt’s active ingredients: magnesium chloride and potassium chloride, and Safe Paw was given the US Environmental Protection Agencyâs Safer Choice Standard Award. If youâre looking for products with the federal seal of approval (OSHA and the EPA), then Traction Magic and Safe Paw are the safe, effective choices.
Traction Magic vs Kitty Litter
The bottom line is that kitty litter isnât for ice, and Traction Magic isnât for cat boxes. Fair enough? Traction Magic and kitty litter each have their own realm in which they do the job they were invented to do. If it’s traction on ice you want, leave the kitty litter inside and reach for Traction Magic for all your outdoor ice traction needs.