Get ready for the cold weather by building your winter maintenance kit in three simple steps
When the first frost hits, you don’t want to be the one slipping over at the school gate or the shop door, and if you are responsible for people coming to your premises, you certainly don’t want them hurting themselves. So it’s important to get ahead of the cold snap by building your winter maintenance kit now, and that means deciding what the best grit bin, rock salt and spreader is for your needs.
The process is quite simple: pick a grit bin, fill it with gritting salt, and decide how you will spread it. But with so many options available, we’ve put together a simple guide that walks you through each step, ensuring you buy the right type and amount first time, with no last-minute panic when the forecast suddenly turns.
- Don’t miss our comprehensive guide covering everything you need to know about grit bins in the UK
Step 1: Pick your grit bin
The first thing to consider is where your grit bin is going, and how much ground it needs to cover. Whether it’s just for your home or for a large car park, we have a range of options available for every situation, listed for easy decision-making:
Doorstop, path or home
Recommended size: 50-11 litres
Shop front, office entrance or small car park
Recommended size: 175-200 litres
- EverTough 200 L lockable grit bin
- 6 Cu Ft recycled grit bin (175 L)
- Pathfinder 200 L lockable grit bin
School, care home, business park or large car park
Recommended size: 400 litres
Helpful Tips
- Keep in mind the general rule that 1 litre of grit bin space equates to about 1kg of rock salt
- To make your life easier, opt for a slightly larger bin than you need, as bigger bins mean fewer refills when it’s cold, and you avoid the headache of potentially running out halfway through a long cold spell.
- If placed somewhere public, select a lockable grit bin so your salt is still there when you need it
- Put the bin where you think you’ll actually use it, for example by the entrance, the steps or the slope. Don’t put it somewhere no one wants to walk in the dark.
Step 2: Fill it with salt (and how much you need)
When choosing salt, you need to consider what you need it for. White de-icing salt won’t leave brown marks on paving, entrances or shop fronts, while the classic brown rock salt will provide extra grip underfoot.
Non-corrosive de-icer is best for areas near vehicles, metal or delicate surfaces where you’d rather not use salt.
Bin size and how many 25kg bags needed to fill it
- 50 litres = 2 bags
- 110 litres = 4-5 bags
- 175 litres = 7 bags
- 200 litres = 8 bags
- 400 litres = 16 bags (up to 20 in a 500kg-capacity bin), or two 400 litre bins from a 1-tonne pallet with salt left for top-ups
Helpful Tips
- If you’re buying for a bigger site, buying in bulk will save trips and money. Some bulk options include pallets of 40 x 25 kg bags (1 tonne), brown rock salt in lighter 10kg bags, which are easier to carry, in packs of 25, 50 or 100, or 1 tonne bulk bags, for sites with a salt store.
- When a cold snap is forecast, everyone orders salt at once, and bulk salt is a heavy delivery. But if you order now, your bin will be full and ready before you need it.
Step 3: Choose how to spread it
Throwing salt by hand is fine for a doorstep, but you’d still be better off using a scoop, and for anything bigger, using a spreader is best to get it down quickly and evenly.
A few steps or a short path
Recommended type: Hand scoop
Paths, entrances, small car parks
Recommended type: Push spreader
- EverTough Pro 57 kg salt spreader (our best seller)
- Cresco 10SW homeowner spreader
- Cemo SW 20-C spreader
Large sites, daily gritting
Recommended type: Professional push spreader
Estates, big car parks, long access roads
Recommended type: Towable spreader
How much should you spread?
Take the guesswork out of it by using our Salt Spreading Calculator. Simply input the area you’re covering, and it works out exactly how much salt you need.
Short on time? Consider these ready-made winter maintenance kit combinations
If you’re not sure where to begin or need a full kit now, we have put together a few options for ready-made winter maintenance kits that will cover all the jobs discussed above.
Homes, small entrances
1 × 50 L recycled grit bin
2 × 25 kg white de-icing salt
1 × Multi Scoop grit & salt spreader
1 × telescopic snow shovel
Shop fronts, office entrances, small car parks
1 × EverTough 200 L lockable grit bin
8 × 25 kg white de-icing salt
1 × Multi Scoop spreader
1 × heavy duty snow shovel
Schools, care homes, business parks
3 × 14 Cu Ft heavy duty recycled grit bins (400 L / 500 kg)
2 × 1-tonne bags of brown rock salt
1 × 160 kg towable salt spreader
1 × large snow pusher
Estates, councils, large car parks
3 × 14 Cu Ft heavy duty recycled grit bins (400 L / 500 kg)
2 × 1-tonne bags of brown rock salt
1 × 160 kg towable salt spreader
1 × large snow pusher
Still not sure? Don’t worry, because we’re here to help
If you still have questions, you can either use this form to request a direct quote, use this form for public sector orders, or you can get in touch and we’ll help you work out what you need.
Either call us on 01777 858009 or email us via sales@kingfisherdirect.co.uk
