Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Ten Things You Can Do With Table Salt

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My mom and dad are moving. Any time I go to their house to help my mom sort through things, I bring home various and sundry items that she no longer needs. While going through her cookbooks last week, I came across three books that she was going to give away. They were called 100 Helpful Hints for Salt, 100 Helpful Hints for White Vinegar, and 100 Helpful Hints for Baking Soda.

Of course, I couldn't resist sharing some of the ideas with you! I haven't tried most of these, but you can be sure I am going to. I thought I would share some ideas for salt first, since there seems to be an over-abundance of blog posts full of ways to use white vinegar and baking soda.

Here are ten of the 100 things you can do with ordinary salt:

1.  STOVE TOPS:  Clean burned-on food from a stovetop burner by sprinkling it with a mixture of salt and cinnamon, then wipe immediately. The mixture will give off a pleasant smell and cover up any burnt odor the next time you turn on the burner. You can use this same combination (salt and cinnamon) to soak up a liquid spill on a stovetop burner. Leave it on spill for 5 minutes to absorb the liquid, then wipe away.

2.  CARPETS: Try removing grease spots in a rug with a mixture of 1 part salt to 4 parts rubbing alcohol. Rub hard, going the same direction as nap, then rinse with water.

3.  WOOD:  When a hot dish or water has marred the surface of a wood table, get rid of the mark with a thin paste made of salad oil and salt. Just wipe on paste, then buff slightly as you wipe off with a soft cloth.

4.  RUST:  Make a paste of lemon juice and salt. Apply paste to rusted object, and rub with a dry, soft cloth.

5.  LAUNDRY:  Add 1/2 cup of salt to wash cycle to prevent new colored fabrics from running.

6.  STAINS: The yellow perspiration stains on your white shirts can be removed with a mixture of 1 quart water and 4 Tablespoons salt. Sponge mixture onto stained area, then repeat until stain disappears. Wash as usual.

7.  HANDS: To remove onion odor from your hands, sprinkle on a little salt, then moisten with a bit of vinegar. Rub hands together, and then rinse.

8.  BEE STINGS:  Work a mixture of salt and water into a paste that will stick to a bee sting or bug bite. Apply paste; let sit until dry. This should relieve any itch or pain. 

9.  WINDSHIELDS: Avoid frosted car windows on a cold morning by rubbing them in the evening with a sponge dipped in a saltwater solution. Use 2 tablespoons of salt to 2 cups of water.

10. ANTS: Ordinary table salt sprinkled in areas where ants congregate may help deter them.  

And there you have it!  10 new ideas for simple table salt!  I definitely see on that list a few that I am going to try immediately (the ants have recently been congregating around my kitchen sink like a small army!) 

Do you have any other uses for table salt? I'd love to hear more ideas.

Have a great day!

--Leslie


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2 comments:

  1. hmmmm... we used to sprinkle it on slugs to kill them. Kind of gross, though! Also salt water gargle stings but gets rid of cold sores faster.

    With the rust removal tip, you'd have to be really careful to rinse off all the salt after, because salt encourages rust! I really like the windshield tip. I wonder how low temperature that will work. (Gets pretty cold here in the winter.)

    Fun post...I'm a new subscriber now! :)
    Natalia
    http://preputilityvehicle.blogspot.ca/ (The .ca may give a hint why it gets cold here. ;)

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  2. Thanks for all your wonderful comments! I will check out your blog :)

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