Safe Paw Pet-Safe Snow and Ice Melt, Salt- and Chloride-Free Melter, 8 lbs

Why it's worth it

Safe Paw skips salt and chlorides entirely, so it doesn't sting cracked paw pads the way a chloride blend can. It works down to -2°F, holds off refreeze for up to 72 hours when used as directed, and takes about half the amount of a rock salt application.

If a dog crosses your walk every day, this is the trade worth making. The ASPCA's advice for salted surfaces is to rinse paws afterward, because chloride salts irritate skin and cause mild stomach upset when a dog licks them off. Safe Paw takes the chloride out of that equation. You still don't want anyone eating it, but you're not scrubbing feet at the back door after every trip outside.

It's also the one for surfaces you baby. The formula is non-corrosive and non-conductive, and the maker lists it as fine on properly cured concrete, asphalt, brick, pavers, metal and wood decks. If your back steps are wood or your patio is stamped and sealed, that list is worth more to you than a few extra degrees of melting range.

From our review of 8 ice melt products

What we like

• +If a dog crosses your walk every day, this is the trade worth making
• +It's also the one for surfaces you baby
• +Owners consistently report it does its best work as a pre-treatment
• +The jug is a small thing that matters

What to know

• –That -2°F floor is a real limit
• –It also costs far more per pound than any chloride product here, and eight pounds doesn't go far on a driveway