Salt is a kind of staples you all the time have within the kitchen. However don’t restrict its use to simply flavoring meals. It’s a real family workhorse and we’ve discovered greater than two dozen hacks past the same old culinary makes use of.
Salt makes meals style higher, however it’s additionally nice for cleansing due to its absorbent qualities. You should use salt round your own home for all kinds of cleanup jobs or incorporate it in your self-care routine. Salt scrub, anybody?
Skip the costly cleaners and seize your salt shaker. We’ve gathered 26 totally different makes use of for salt that may shock you.
What Sort of Salt Ought to You Use?
Once you consider salt, you in all probability consider fine-grain desk salt, however you would possibly often want sea salt, kosher salt or Epsom salt for these hacks.
Iodized desk salt is the most affordable choice — 26 ounces of Walmart’s Nice Worth retailer model is simply $.48 — and the more than likely one to be in your cupboard. The finer grains make it an important choice for a lot of jobs.
Sea salt and kosher salt have larger-grain sizes than desk salt. You’ll pay extra for kosher salt (about $3 for 3 kilos at Walmart) and sea salt (about the identical value for 26 ounces at Walmart). However if you happen to want extra abrasion for the duty, the value continues to be cheaper than specialised cleansing merchandise.
Epsom salt isn’t truly salt in any respect, however magnesium sulfate. You’ll find it within the pharmacy or magnificence part for lower than $5 for a 4-pound bag.
26 Makes use of for Salt Past Meals
We’ve rounded up methods to make use of salt as a cleansing agent, as a health and beauty help, and some different stunning makes use of.
Utilizing Salt as a Cleansing Agent
1. Scrub your chopping board.
Is your chopping board wanting just a little worse for put on? Use salt and a lemon to eliminate stains from final evening’s dinner. Wipe your chopping board with a humid fabric, then sprinkle coarse salt liberally throughout it. Slice the lemon in half and use it to clean the salt into the board. Let it sit for a couple of minutes, then rinse all of it off. Take away any extra moisture with a fabric and stand it as much as dry.
2. Clear your fridge.
Salt can be used to wash your fridge. Dissolve a cup of salt right into a gallon of sizzling water to provide it a fast clear. You too can use the opposite half of that lemon to provide the water a nice scent.
3. Clean up your sponges.
Has your kitchen sponge seen higher days? Put ¼ cup of salt in two cups of water and let the sponge soak within the resolution in a single day to wash it.
4. Clear a glass espresso pot.
You’ll be able to clear outdated espresso stains off your espresso pot with 4 tsp salt, 1 cup of crushed ice and 1 tablespoon of water. Ensure your espresso pot is at room temperature and blend every little thing collectively. Swirl it round till the pot is clear, then rinse.
5. Clear espresso and tea stains from mugs.
As soon as your espresso pot is clear, why not clear out your mugs? Get the within of the mug moist, add 1 tablespoon of salt and scrub it round with a microfiber fabric. Rinse the mug out with water.
6. Make a brand new broom last more.
Earlier than you employ a brush for the primary time, soak it in an answer of 1 half salt to 1 half vinegar. Depart it in for half-hour after which stand it the wrong way up to dry. It will forestall the broom bristles from fraying.
7. Erase spots off picket tables.
Do you could have water rings left in your desk? Mix salt with a small quantity of water to type a paste. Use a fabric or sponge to rub the paste into the stain till it’s gone.
8. Take away wine stains from garments and carpets.
Blot the stain to take away what liquid you possibly can, then sprinkle kosher salt on the stain. Permit the salt to sit down for 2 or three minutes, then rinse with chilly water. If utilizing the salt methodology on a carpet, you possibly can merely vacuum it up afterward.
9. Preserve your brass vibrant.
Restore the shine to your brass and copper gadgets with salt. Mix 1 tsp of salt and 1 tbsp of flour with sufficient vinegar to type a paste. Rub the brass or copper vigorously on to brass or copper and permit it to dry. Wash the merchandise in heat soapy water and dry with a microfiber fabric.
10. Clear up your outdated change.
Do you could have dingy outdated pennies in your change jar? Combine ¼ cup of vinegar and 1 tsp of salt in a shallow bowl. Soak the pennies for quarter-hour, ensuring they aren’t touching. Use a toothbrush to take away any cussed residue, then rinse the pennies in water and lay them on a fabric to dry.
Solely do that hack if you happen to’re not involved about coin gathering. The abrasive impact of salt can decrease a coin’s worth.
11. Brighten the colours of rugs and curtains.
Revitalize outdated rugs by rubbing them with a fabric that has been soaked in salt water. Smaller throw rugs, curtains and garments could be soaked in salt water earlier than being put within the washer to brighten their colours. Quick on time? Throw some salt in with the wash cycle.
12. Clear your clothes iron.
Give your iron a fast clear by placing sea salt on a chunk of paper, then working the nice and cozy iron over it a couple of occasions. The dust will keep on with the salt. Permit it to chill, then wipe the salt off the metallic plate with a humid fabric.
13. Deodorize your sneakers.
Salt can take the scent out of your pungent footwear. Simply sprinkle some desk salt into the offending pair, allow them to sit in a single day and it’ll take up any moisture. Don’t need to put salt straight into your footwear? You too can put the salt into two espresso filters, tie them off with rubber bands and place them in your footwear as a substitute.
Salt for Self-Care
14. Make your personal pores and skin exfoliant.
You should use sea salt, kosher salt, Epsom salt or some other salt in your cupboard to create an invigorating physique scrub. Combine the salt with an oil, equivalent to coconut or olive. You too can customise the physique scrub by including important oils, honey or espresso grounds. Hop within the bathe and use your do-it-yourself salt scrub to exfoliate your damp pores and skin.
Solely use salt scrubs in your physique. The coarser grains aren’t good for delicate pores and skin, so use sugar if you wish to make a face scrub.
15. Deal with dandruff.
When you’ve got a case of dandruff, don’t run to the shop for an costly treatment. Add a tablespoon of salt to your common dollop of shampoo to exfoliate your scalp. Therapeutic massage your scalp and shampoo as regular.
Have some Epsom salt helpful? Get your hair moist and therapeutic massage the Epsom salt into your scalp. Observe up along with your common shampoo and conditioner.
16. Take a sea salt tub.
When you don’t have the time to make a physique scrub, simply throw some sea salt into your tub. It may well assist relieve pores and skin situations like psoriasis and eczema, and ease muscle aches.
Ensure the water temperature is barely about two levels hotter than your pores and skin to assist your physique take up the vitamins. Pour in ¼ cup of salt and chill out within the tub for 20 minutes. If ¼ cup doesn’t really feel like sufficient, you possibly can experiment with as much as 2 cups of salt.
17. Relieve bee and mosquito stings.
When you get stung by a bee, attain for the Epsom salt. It reduces swelling and can assist expel any stinger items which were left behind. When you’re bitten by a mosquito, a paste created from water and desk salt will assist soothe the affected space.
18. Relieve a sore throat.
Gargling salt water can assist along with your sore throat and allergy signs. Combine ½ tsp of salt with 8 ounces of heat water and gargle for so long as you favor. Repeat as usually as wanted. Salt water rinses may assist alleviate canker sores and enhance dental well being.
Salt for Pets
19. Do away with fleas.
If your own home is experiencing a flea infestation, you possibly can struggle them with finely floor desk salt. You’ll be able to grind the salt right into a powder utilizing a blender. Sprinkle it in your carpet, furnishings or pet mattress and permit it to sit down undisturbed for 12 to 48 hours. Brush the salt into the materials so it will get down into the fibers the place flea eggs can cover. As soon as the ready interval is over, vacuum it up. The salt will dry the fleas out and kill them.
Simply be sure you not permit your pets across the salted space. Salt could be dangerous if ingested and might irritate their pores and skin.
Salt for Outside Use
20. Kill weeds in your sidewalk cracks.
When you’ve got weeds poking via your sidewalk or patio stones, you need to use salt water to kill them. If different vegetation are across the weeds, use a weak combination of three elements water to 1 half desk salt. If the weeds are by themselves or the standard of the soil isn’t a difficulty, you may make a stronger resolution. Use a sprig bottle to use the saltwater to the weed’s leaves.
Want a stronger resolution? Add dish cleaning soap and white vinegar to make it more practical. Repeat each few days.
21. Kill Poison Ivy
When you discovered some poison ivy whereas tackling your weeds, salt can deal with that too. Combine 3 cups of salt, ¼ cup of dish cleaning soap and a couple of cups of sizzling water. Spray it on the plant each few days till it dies.
22. Take away rust.
Are your backyard instruments wanting just a little rusty? Rub salt over the rusted space, then squeeze lemon juice onto the salt. Let sit for 2 hours after which scrub the combination off.
Salt for Different Family Options
23. Preserve fruit from browning.
You’ll be able to sneak some apple or pear slices into lunch containers they usually received’t brown if you happen to soak them in salt water after chopping them. Use ½ teaspoon per one cup of water and soak the fruit for 5 minutes, drain and retailer.
24. Check eggs for freshness.
We’ve all been there — generally eggs don’t get utilized by the “greatest by” date. You’ll be able to take a look at the freshness of your eggs by inserting them in chilly saltwater. If the egg continues to be usable, it would sink to the underside. Eggs which have gone unhealthy will float.
25. Make reduce flowers last more.
Make that bouquet last more by placing 1 tbsp of Epsom salt in its water. Epsom salt accommodates magnesium, which helps vegetation take up vitamins.
26. Put out a grease hearth.
When you occur to by accident begin a grease hearth, liberally douse it with salt. Intention straight above the hearth so the flames don’t leap out. You too can apply it to your out of doors bonfire to assist snuff out the embers.
Contributor Jenna Limbach writes on monetary literacy and life-style matters for The PNW from her house base in Utah.