Looking For Rock Salt in Illinois? Here’s Why You Might Not Find It This Winter

Brutal winters in Illinois could potentially get a whole lot worse as residents may soon find bare shelves when searching for rock salt.

Why Is There No Rock Salt?

Rock salt, commonly used by both municipalities and home owners to melt and remove ice, is going through a shortage in some parts of the U.S.

Some cities in the Northeast are already seeing delays in salt delivery this winter creating for potentially hazardous driving conditions. And things don't seem to be getting any better as the salt shortage is spreading to other parts of the country.

The company at the center of the shortage is American Rock Salt.

According to Livingston County News, American Rock Salt is the largest salt producer in the U.S. But an increased demand in salt this winter due to early winter storms has created a "backlog" of orders.

READ MORE: Illinois TV Meteorologist Will 'Eat His Sock' If He Is Wrong

In addition to municipalities not receiving orders on time, stores that sell bags of salt are also coming up with empty shelves.

How To Melt Ice Without Salt?

Thankfully, there are some options for melting ice the next time a winter storm blows across Illinois. Unfortunately, not all of them will be as quick and efficient as using rock salt.

Here are a few ways you can try melting ice outside your home:

Table salt: Hey, it's salt. But let's be honest, you probably don't have enough of it in your house to effectively melt your driveway.

Water softener salt: This can get expensive, but it does provide a quick way to melt ice when you don't have rock salt. Even if can't get out to buy some, you could always grab a scoop leftover from your water softener, if available.

Beet juice: Unless you're Dwight Schrute, you probably don't have beet juice sitting in your pantry. Nevertheless, AccuWeather says beet juice can be used to lower the freezing point of water. Just be prepared for a stained driveway once everything melts.

Baking soda: This might be your best bet for creating a homemade de-icer. AccuWeather recommends mixing 100 grams of baking soda with a gallon of water and pouring it on the ice. Added bonus for this solution: It's pet friendly.