What do you use to safely clear ice from mahogany stairs?

[dennis thompson]

Last summer I moved into a house that has mahogany decks and stairs that I had refinished. We had a ice storm and the stairs are covered with ice. I have read that calcium chloride is not good for decks. What do you use to safely clear ice from your stairs?
Thanks

[Frederick Skelly]

Dennis,
Man, I'll bet that's a gorgeous deck and stairs! I've seen redwood used but I've never run across mahogany personally.

A handful of thoughts, FWIW -
* If the house has been there a long time, the previous owners had a solution that was probably better than just chipping it off. Wonder if your neighbors know?
* Do you know what finish is on those stairs (to get a sense of how durable it is)?
* Could you call the folks who did the refinishing and ask them what they recommend?

Hope it gives you some ideas, anyway. Good luck!
Fred

[Kev Williams]

ammonium sulfate fertilizer is great for melting ice, but no clue what it'll do to wood...

There's also 'safe for pets' ice melter, not sure what's in it but it works good too...

[Bob Grier]

If you can wait for temperature to warm up or sun to hit it, I would think the bond between ice and wood would break and gentle tapping with a mallet would make small enough pieces to be pushed off with a broom or other soft tool - maybe even leaf blower.

As you know, using a sharp edged tool to scrape or break the ice will damage the wood finish.

If you need to do soon, hang plastic or something over it to make tent and then blow warm air into it. Heat will accumulate more in top of tent so hang down past the deck a little and it should contain enough heat to loosen the ice or even melt it completely. It takes quite a bit of heat to change water state from solid to liquid. Rent a big propane or diesel space heater for a couple hours.

[Stan Calow]

I would be afraid just about any chemical compound would damage or discolor it. If it were me, I'd just put some sand on it for walking safely, and wait for melting.

[Frederick Skelly]

I would be afraid just about any chemical compound would damage or discolor it. If it were me, I'd just put some sand on it for walking safely, and wait for melting.

I had a similar thought Stan. My concern would be sand scratching that finish.
But, assuming these steps have been there a while, there's a workable solution. It'll be interesting to hear more from Dennis

[Rick Moyer]

I would be afraid just about any chemical compound would damage or discolor it. If it were me, I'd just put some sand on it for walking safely, and wait for melting.
This was my thought too, but you'd likely drag sand into the house. Supposed to be in the mid-forties the rest of the week, FYI.

[dennis thompson]

Well it got a little warmer today, it loosened up some, so I was able to gently scrape it off, I don't think I'll use any chemicals on it. I'm thinking about those heated stair pads.

[Lee Schierer]

This was my thought too, but you'd likely drag sand into the house. Supposed to be in the mid-forties the rest of the week, FYI.

I was going to suggest the sand too and was aware of the problem of tracking it into the house. As a temporary means cut some old bath towels or carpeting to fit precisely on the steps and path leading to them. Warm them in the dryer and immediately take them out an lay them on top of the ice. The warm towels should partially melt into the ice and leave them there. The should create a rough enough surface to safely walk on. When the weather warms up, pick up the towels and either toss them or use them for shop rags.