To the uninitiated, a home is more than just a place to hang your boots, after a tiring day.

A home is a responsibility and a privilege. Maintaining your home and everything in it forms the core of being a good homeowner/tenant. With this in mind, considering comprehensive Homeowner’s Insurance should be a primary consideration as it not only secures your belongings and possessions against theft and damage but also protects you against any accident or unfortunate events that could take place on your property.

While we’re on the topic of maintaining our homes, did you know that baking soda which is a common item found in every household can be used as a fantastic replacement for toxic household cleaners and act as a stand-in for many personal care products?

Here are 10 amazing uses of baking soda that will help you look after yourself and keep your home spotlessly clean:

As a refrigerator deodorant

Sometimes our refrigerators can become a haven for unwanted smells, what with meat, poultry, milk and other products being stored there regularly. If you want to control the odours in your fridge, a simple thing to do is to place a little bowl of baking soda in it. Baking soda absorbs all the undesirable smells and leaves your refrigerator odourless.

As a soft surface scrub

Baking soda has the power to draw out stains, impurities and dirt from virtually any surface. So use it as a soft surface scrub on virtually any surface, from a kitchen sink cleaner to a spray (3 parts water, 1 part baking soda) to clean glass, metal and wooden surfaces.

As a sponge cleaner

Sponges are porous and can be home to virtually endless strains of bacteria. If you use a sponge to wash your utensils on a daily basis, it would be a good idea to simply soak the sponges in a mixture of 4 teaspoons of baking soda, in a quart of water. Dry the sponges in the microwave and you will never have to worry about bacterial food infections ever again.

Make a gentle facial scrub

Baking soda has cleansing and astringent properties. Here’s how you could use it in your daily cleansing-toning-moisturising routine - make a paste of baking soda and turmeric and apply liberally over your face, wash off in about 5 minutes with warm water, this will open your pores and let your skin breathe again.

As an antacid

Half a teaspoon of baking soda dissolved with a pinch of lemon juice in a cup of lukewarm water, makes for an excellent, chemical free and zero side-effect antacid that can be consumed by anyone, from young children to seniors.

As a furniture polish

Dissolve 2 parts baking soda in 4 parts water and some lemon juice to make an effective furniture polish.

As a fabric conditioner

Half a cup of baking soda to your laundry load everyday increases the efficacy of your detergent and also acts as a fabric conditioner. Furthermore the presence of baking soda binds the colours of your clothes and doesn’t let it run.

As a cutting board deodoriser/disinfectant

Your cutting board at home is normally made of materials that could easily harbour, both odours and bacteria, even if you wash it regularly. Use baking soda to deodorise and disinfect your cutting boards. It’s simple; sprinkle the board with baking soda, scrub the surface and rinse, much like you would with soap.

As a closet freshener

An open box of baking soda in your closets will absorb undesirable odours and help keep the closet and its contents fresh and odour free.

As a solution for smelly sneakers

If you work out or train, you know the pain of smelly sneakers. Simply spread some baking soda into your sneakers, when not in use and reward yourself with fresh smelling sneakers for every workout.