Melt the Ice Nicely

While nobody wants to go sailing into a lamppost or land awkwardly on their heinie in the wake of a snowstorm, commercial deicers can leave a frolicking dog with dry and cracked paws, not to mention potentially fatal digestive problems if he's an overzealous licker.

The most common ice melters are chloride salts, which include sodium chloride (also known as rock or table salt), as well as calcium, potassium, and magnesium chlorides. Salt can also sting kids' eyes and skin, while corroding concrete and metal, and damaging surrounding vegetation.Besides slipping on booties on Fido and bundling your bambinos in protective gear, one solution is to outfit your steps with outdoor safety step treads, and then tackling the snow and ice with a good old-fashioned shovel and hoe. (A tool known as the Wovel leverages your body weight to remove snow without straining your back.)

And, while scattering sand and crushed gravel across your steps, driveway, and sidewalk won't melt the ice, they'll provide enough traction to prevent you from slip-sliding into the sunset. Just be sure to use to use these materials sparingly, so you don't throw up polluting clouds of microparticles into the air. You should also sweep them up afterward, not only for reuse, but also to keep them from clogging up sewer systems or flooding into local waterways.

Another alternative is Safe Paw, a salt-free time-release compound that advertises itself as being safe for humans, animals, and the environment. It's also noncorrosive and harmless with skin contact.

Difficulty level: Easy