Winter weather is harsh, but it’s not just the cold that you need to look out for. With the onslaught of snow and ice also comes other dangers that can remain even after the ice has melted away. If you’re a homeowner or a business owner, then protecting your property is likely a top priority. Unfortunately, winter can cause serious damage to some of your most expensive possessions including your vehicles or home.

However, by adopting a solid plan for protecting your home, vehicles and business equipment in the winter, you can save yourself the need for many costly repairs. In this article, we’ll be talking about ways that you can stop winter corrosion and other damage in its tracks.

The hidden danger of winter: corrosion

With the ice and snow also comes something else: salt. While road salt brine and ice melt are typically very effective at managing snow and ice and protecting the welfare of citizens on the roads, it does come at a cost. The corrosive film left behind from products like these wreak havoc on metal and painted or finished surfaces.

If you’ve ever seen vehicles with massive amounts of corrosion, this is the reason, and as a business owner or homeowner, this can be scary! You’ve no doubt invested a lot of money in your property, and you want to keep it in the best shape possible, so it’ll last you for years to come. Well, the good news is, there are ways to combat this problem. Here are some steps you can take to save your things from winter’s destruction.

Wash salt residue from painted or metal surfaces frequently

The first step to protecting your things from salt corrosions is keeping them clean. It’ll be near impossible to keep all salt from touching your vehicles or the painted surfaces around your home during winter, but you can reduce the chance of corrosion by keeping up a regular washing schedule.

Wash your vehicle with warm water every 10 days in winter to keep the salt buildup under control, and if you’re worried about the salt buildup harming painted or finished surfaces outside your home, then make sure to keep those washed off too. This could include outdoor furniture, metal railings or even wood decking. While wood surfaces won’t corrode, the salt can still damage the paint, and this could let moisture in, causing wood rot later on.

If you have a power washer, then you could use that to power off salt left behind on surfaces where you don’t want it. While many people do use their power washers on their cars, be aware that there is a risk of damaging the paint if you use a setting that’s too high.

Use a salt neutralizer to control winter damage

Acids, corrosion inhibitors and penetrants work to neutralize the corrosive film of salt left behind on metal and painted surfaces from popular ice melter products. Something like Salt Away can actually remove tough salt stains from fabric, stone, brick or concrete and if you’ve experienced previous salt damage as well.

By pairing a product like this with the regular washing of affected surfaces it becomes much easier to control winter corrosion. It’s a cost-effective and simple method to keep your property looking great year after year despite the harsh winter elements.

Purchase a less corrosive deicer to winterize your home or business

While you can’t do much about the road salt, you can reduce the chance of corrosion happening at your own home or at your business by using an alternative product.

A product like ZeroGo Liquid is actually less damaging to metal and concrete surfaces than deicing pellets, making it a better choice for treating your own driveway and sidewalks.

It doesn’t contain calcium chloride or sodium chloride like other deicers, which is great, because these compounds can actually soak into porous surfaces like concrete and cause damage to your driveway or sidewalks. This is because that while ice melters protect you from icing, they generally only do so up to up to around 20 degrees. After that happens, the mixture will freeze and expand, causing cracks in your concrete.

ZeroGo Liquid is still effective at -40 degrees and it’s not only easier on your property, but it’s also easier on the environment. Magnesium chloride actually releases less chloride than other ice melter products, like rock salt, which can have detrimental effects on local plant life and local water quality from winter runoff.