Safe Paw and Safe Thaw are both designed to be environmentally friendly, pet-safe, and surface-safe alternatives to traditional chloride-based ice melts. They’re often praised for being gentle on vegetation compared to salt-based products. But like any product—even a safe one—too much of a good thing can still cause problems. Specifically, when these ice melts are overapplied and the runoff collects on grass, homeowners may notice a surprising result: dead or yellowing patches in the lawn.
But why does this happen if the product is labeled safe? The answer lies in understanding how nutrient overload—particularly nitrification—can affect plant life.