Frost Heave: Tips For Protecting Your Pets & Home

Frost heave is a phenomenon that occurs when frozen soil expands. If your home is built on a foundation of frost-heave soil, it can cause structural damage to your home and property. Frost heave also causes damage to trees, shrubs and other plants, and lawns. When the soil expands due to freezing water, it may lift the pavement in your driveway or sidewalk and move the structure of your house upwards causing cracks in walls or floors. The good news is that these problems are avoidable if you follow some simple steps:

Understand What Causes Frost Heave

Frost heave is caused by water freezing and melting in the soil, which causes the ground level to rise and fall several times during one night or day (depending on how quickly things heat up). This can cause damage to homes, vehicles, and lawns. However, if you’re aware of what causes frost heaving, you’ll be able to avoid these issues by taking proper precautions during cold weather months! 

Use A Pet-Safe Ice Melt That Doesn’t Damage Concrete

The first thing you should do when considering a de-icing substance for your driveway or sidewalk is read the product label. This will tell you what the product is made of, which can help you determine whether it is pet safe or if it could hurt wildlife and children. If the de-icing substance contains salt, then it may not be safe for most pets—and some people are also allergic to salt. Salt can harm plants as well, so if you have any plants that grow on your property that could be affected by salt runoff (such as trees), this could also influence how much your landscaping will be damaged by using a salt-based product. 

Gaia Enterprises Inc. delivers 100% pet-safe and environmentally friendly winter products. Safe Paw, our flagship product, is the #1 selling pet-safe ice melt that does not harm pets, safe if ingested, and safe on all types of concrete.

Finally, keep in mind that kids tend to play outside more often. Even if they’re not directly exposed to de-icing substances like sand or rock salt, they might still ingest some while playing with toys or other things brought into their homes from outdoors (e.g., shoes).

Potassium chloride is poisonous to kids, pets, and livestock. The National Pesticide Information Center recommends keeping potassium chloride in a locked cabinet or out of reach of children, pets, and livestock. If you have questions about whether or not your child should be exposed to potassium chloride, call your doctor or veterinarian for guidance.

Safe paw is a pet-safe ice melt that doesn’t damage concrete. Safe Paw is non-toxic and non-corrosive ice melt without harmful chloride salt. Glycol is used in Safe Paw to defrost the ice and prevent refreezing. Safe Paw ice melt not only melts the ice but also protects the surface by preventing the formation of ice for the next several hours.

Conclusion

Frost heave can be a big problem, but it doesn’t have to ruin your day. With these tips, you’ll be able to keep the salt out of reach of your pets and kids while still enjoying your yard. Remember that some chemical deicers can be harmful if they get into the wrong hands (like those of your dog or cat), so just make sure that you read labels carefully before using anything around your home!

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