How Does You've Been Lied To—Salt Does Not Melt Ice! Work?

You've been told that salt melts ice, but actually, salt doesn't melt ice, it just makes it easier for the ice to become water.

Imagine you're trying to get out of a frozen lake. If you're all by yourself, it might take forever to break through the ice and swim free. But if someone throws a bag of salt into the lake, like your friend throwing in salt to help you, suddenly the ice becomes softer and easier to break.

That’s what salt does: it helps the ice turn into water faster, but not by melting it all at once. It makes it easier for the ice to start turning into water, just like your friend helping you get out of the lake.

Think of salt as a little helper that makes the ice feel less stubborn. When salt touches the ice, it makes the freezing point lower, meaning the ice doesn’t have to be as cold to stay solid. So even if it’s still pretty chilly outside, the ice starts to get softer and turn into water more quickly.

It's like having a warm bath on a cold day, it doesn't melt all the snow in your yard, but it makes it easier for the snow to start melting! You've been told that salt melts ice, but actually, salt doesn't melt ice, it just makes it easier for the ice to become water.

Imagine you're trying to get out of a frozen lake. If you're all by yourself, it might take forever to break through the ice and swim free. But if someone throws a bag of salt into the lake, like your friend throwing in salt to help you, suddenly the ice becomes softer and easier to break.

That’s what salt does: it helps the ice turn into water faster, but not by melting it all at once. It makes it easier for the ice to start turning into water, just like your friend helping you get out of the lake.