Deice your home with simple kitchen item - no nasty chemicals needed

By Vita Molyneux, Travel Reporter

Ice can be a hazard around the house (Image: Getty)

As rain and snow falls across the UK and temperatures slip into the negatives, it's important to ensure the pavement around your home is safe.

Winter means ice and ice can lead to slips and falls which could cause injuries. If your home is becoming a hazard due to ice, there’s a simple and cheap trick you can use to de-ice your property without the nasty chemicals.

Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is an inexpensive, readily available mineral that can effectively lower the freezing point of ice, speeding up the melting process.

The experts at Lottomart recommend baking soda because, unlike traditional salts used in commercial de-icers, baking soda is less alkaline. This means it's gentler on surfaces and won't corrode materials like bricks, concrete, or metal.

To use the solution, mix about half a cup of baking soda with 4 and a half litres of warm water until the baking soda dissolves completely.

Baking soda is a simple way to de-ice (Image: Getty)

Once dissolved, spray the mixture on driveways, paths and patios to melt ice quickly and efficiently. 

To start making the solution, gather 100g of baking soda (about half a cup) and 4.5 litres of warm water.

Begin by combining the baking soda with the warm water in a large container, stirring until the soda dissolves completely.

Keep your home ice-free with this simple hack (Image: Getty)

Once mixed, pour or spray the solution directly onto icy surfaces like driveways, pathways, garden walkways, or patios.

For extra traction and to prevent the melting ice from refreezing again, you can apply sand as an additive once the solution has worked.

It will help to improve grip and further reduce the risk of slipping, being especially effective on driveways or garden paths where extra traction is needed.