One way we show gratitude to our Heavenly Father for the place of worship ("Surrey Stake Centre") we've been blessed with is by simply taking care of it. We take turns doing basic cleaning. Here's the remainder of the 2025 schedule!

Ice Melt - Do’s and Don’ts

Ice melt products can help your buildings both safe and attractive. We asked some of the leading ice melt manufacturers to share the top mistakes they’ve seen users make with their products — and to offer valuable advice on how to get it right.

Mistake #1: Not using it
Whether it is in an effort to save money or save time, some housekeepers opt not to use ice melt on slippery sidewalks and entryways. Unfortunately, this could be an expensive mistake.
“Ice melt plays a major role in preventing slip-and-fall accidents, because it rids surfaces of ice,” says Kevin Wice, president of XYNYTH Manufacturing Corp. in British Columbia, Canada. “Falls represent a huge liability issue in many states and provinces, as many regulatory bodies have legislation that requires a business to take some action to prevent people from slipping and falling. By doing nothing, business-owners open themselves up to legal action.”
When a storm dumps snow, a housekeeping manager may not see a need to put down ice melt as long as the parking lots and sidewalks have been shoveled. Underneath that snow, however, is typically a thin but dangerous layer of ice that would be obsolete if ice melt was used. Conversely, some managers only use ice melt after a major weather event, however, even a light dusting of snow can lead to slippery conditions if the snow melts and refreezes as the day wears on.
“Good snow and ice control is definitely a large part of slip-and-fall prevention,” says George D. Lutz, quality assurance technical services manager for Cargill, headquartered in Minnetonka, Minn. “One slip-and-fall accident buys an awful lot of ice melt.”

Mistake #2: Using too much
Too often, cleaners believe that if a little ice melt does a good, than a lot must do a better job. In fact, according to manufacturers, less is usually more when it comes to ice melt. Overusing ice melt can lead to the product being unnecessarily tracked into the facility. It may also burn the vegetation beneath or around where the product is used.
“Excessive application rates do not improve performance,” says Greg MacDonnell, senior marketing manager for The Dow Chemical Company, headquartered in Midland, Mich.
Every product is different, of course, so it is essential for cleaners to read application instructions before using ice melt. The package should list recommended quantities to assist in determining the amount needed for a particular area (for example, it may call for 4 pounds of ice melt per 200 square feet).
Manufacturers recommend applying ice melt using a handheld fertilizer spreader for small areas or a walk-behind spreader for large areas. Scoops and shovels almost always cause overuse, whereas a spreader ensures the product is applied evenly. To make application even easier, colored ice melts are now available to help users see if they are over applying.
“Generally there is a perception that you need to cover the entire sidewalk with ice melt for it to work,” says Rich Otterstrom, a chemist for CP Industries in Salt Lake City, Utah. “In fact, ice melt dissolves in liquid and spreads out with normal use.”

Mistake #3: Applying it wrong
Reading application directions for ice melt is important not only for determining quantity, but it is also the only way to be sure you use the product correctly. For example, when using a calcium or magnesium chloride product, it is important to cover your hands. Product packaging will also warn against using ice melt on a roof, and that rock salt spread on a parking lot will eventually find its way into the water system.
Instructions for use will also emphasize that putting deicer on a 10-inch pile of snow simply doesn’t work. Ice melt must be applied on the ground for it to be effective. Ideally, this should happen in anticipation of a storm. This isn’t always feasible, of course, so the product should be spread before precipitation freezes or as soon as possible thereafter, or immediately after snow has been cleared.
“Pre-application is ideal as an initial deterrent before the snow falls, though it is often difficult to predict necessity,” says Todd Spencer, national sales manager, jan/san, for North American Salt Company, headquartered in Overland Park, Kan. “If you are certain a storm is coming, getting the ice melt down first can have a huge impact on the ice and snow removal and ice melt application cycle.”
Long before winter weather hits, it is also wise to seal any surfaces on which you will use ice melt with a commercial-quality sealant. This important step will prevent moisture from seeping into the pores and cracks in the concrete. Contrary to popular belief, ice melt does not damage concrete, but ice can.
“The freeze-thaw cycle of ice and snow causes expansion and contraction within the crevasses, thus impacting the integrity of the surface,” Spencer says.
Some materials, such as brick, are especially porous and should not be treated with ice melt. Cleaners with these types of surfaces should contact their distributor or manufacturer for appropriate treatment options.

Mistake #4: Not cleaning it up
Tracked-in ice melt is unattractive and has the potential to damage floors. Sodium chloride ice melt (also called rock salt) leaves a white powdery residue that, if allowed to sit on the floor too long, can dull the finish. Calcium chloride and magnesium chloride ice melts leave behind an oily residue that can damage urethane or wax finishes used on wood floors. The oily residue can be slippery on smooth floors (a potential hazard) and can attract dirt on carpets.
If never removed, either type of product may eventually harm wood floors by drawing out natural moisture, causing splintering, or lead to dry rot issues in carpets and rugs.
The best way to prevent ice melt damage is to prevent it from being tracked into the building. Use track mats both outside and inside all entrances and clean them with a mop or vacuum throughout the day.
“A track mat will go a long way to making your life easier,” Lutz says.
Once the product has been tracked in, however, it needs to be cleaned up in a timely manner. Use a vacuum or a mop to clean up sodium chloride products. Mop up calcium chloride or magnesium chloride ice met with a good detergent. If dirt has been tracked in with a deicer, a mildly acidic cleaning agent works best. Carpets damaged by tracked-in residue will typically require professional cleaning.

Guidelines for physical Uses of the building

From Church Facilities management:

Once again, I have had reports of inappropriate activities happening in our Meetinghouse Cultural Halls, especially Hockey.

Below is an older Memorandum that will answer your questions regarding Hockey, Soccer, and Appropriate Building Use. This Memorandum was written to the Agent Stake Presidents and FM groups in December in 1993, written by Jack Hiatt, Area Director, Physical Facilities. This Same information applies today.

“We are constantly receiving reports of new and innovative uses of our meetinghouse, some of which expose either the building or its occupants to injury or abuse. When such practices are question, priesthood leaders consistently ask for written documentation supporting the prohibition of the activity. In cases of more traditional abuses, we are able to oblige by providing official priesthood directives. We can document prohibitions against such things as decorating a cultural hall with Hay, Straw or corn stalks; lit candles or open flames inside a meetinghouse; or decorating the building or a Christmas tree with electric lights; et. al.

Some of the new and innovative uses meetinghouses are being put to are so bizarre or unexpected as to leave us (and the Brethren) altogether unprepared to provide instant documentation of prohibition. We have received reports of bicycle races in our oval hallways; roller-blade and hockey in our cultural halls; water-games, bobbing for apples, and dunking booths on our hardwood floors; recreational skate-boarding, roller skating and roller blading in our cultural halls; tackle football in our cultural halls; card-table/card playing/gambling in the primary meeting room; etc., etc., etc., With all the heavy stewardships the brethren carry, they would be pressed to anticipate and create prohibitive policy for every conceivable abusive activity. In their behalf (and with the blessing of our Areas Presidencies, therefore, we hope this memorandum can be used to document the prohibition of the activities listed in this paragraph.

As you sit in counsel with [local leaders], we hope you can share with them the impracticality of expecting a written policy to cover every conceivable activity. Stake Presidents and bishops know the mission of the Church. They have access to professionals to advise them relative to safety, risk management, and intended/reasonable wear & tear on meetinghouse interiors. With that resource they should be able to head off most inappropriate activities without policy documentation. They certainly have the authority and the stewardship to do so.

It would be helpful if priesthood leaders would switch their default response to innovative ideas from “anything goes if not prohibited in written policy” to “nothing doing unless documentation can be produced in support of it” (programs, manuals, activity books, scriptures, etc.) When pursuing new ways to entertain the “bored” generation, the imagination knows no bounds. Responsible priesthood leaders need your support and council to address these imaginative ideas. We cannot provide you with a written response in ideas we cannot anticipate. We need your help.”

In addition to the above information, some items that have come up recently are the use of Child’s toys with plastic wheels, kids’ tricycles or bicycles, skateboarding, electric kids driving cars, baseball with plastic balls and bats, Lacrosse, and even Soccer. However, most seem harmless. There has been damage to the floor finish, walls, and folding doors.

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