9 Surprisingly Good Uses For Salt

We all have salt somewhere in our homes. However, people tend to take advantage of its cooking purposes without realizing how many other uses it has around the house. It stops bacteria from growing by soaking up moisture and creating an inhospitable environment for them. Just a pinch can solve many of your household problems.

Used throughout human history, universal and cheap. Mined from salt rocks and extracted from seawater, salt is, well, the “salt of the earth!” Overeating it isn’t healthy. At the same time, it’s hard to live your life without a bit of salt in your diet. Get the balance right in your food and everyday life, and salt is worth its own weight.

Keep reading for just a few easy and affordable ways to use it around your home.

Ants

There are many theories about this simple condiment, and using it has not only been handy for a lot of homeowners but also makes pest-killing very cheap and easy to do. Salt and many other natural treatments are famous because they don’t contain harmful chemicals that families and pets can pick up. Salt consumes water and vapor in the air. So when exposed to moisture, it absorbs it. Blogs claim that it kills insects by zapping condensation away from them. So to put it simply, this ingredient dehydrates them to death. Here are some homemade solutions for you to try!

1. Mix some table salt with boiling water. Let it cool off a bit and pour it into a spray bottle. Then spray the mix all over ant-infested areas of your house.
2. A second option is to mix the salt with boiling water and drop it into an ant mound. This guarantees many dead ants, but it may not be able to kill all of them. Some ant mounds have intricate deep underground tunnels that outside forces cannot reach. So it just depends on how giant the anthill is.
3. According to JSTOR, you should mix bran, sugar, and salt solution to kill ants. All you have to do is mix 65% bran, 10% sugar, 25% salt, and water to make a paste. The mixture attracts insects, even though it destroys them. Scatter it around the house or directly into an ant-busy area to see how well it reduces your ant problem.

Kill Grass and Weeds

As a gardener, you’re probably familiar with those annoying weeds and their pesky ways to pop up all over your yard. Even if this is just a part of gardening, you’re not alone if you want to eliminate your weeds once and for all. While there isn’t a magic cure, there are some options out there for helping lessen any weeds that have popped up, one of them being salt water. Unfortunately, this mix isn’t discriminating on which plants it gets rid of, meaning it could also kill your beautiful flowers. Because of this, you might want to use salt in areas that aren’t right beside desired plants. You don’t want to risk killing your chosen plants just to get rid of a few weeds. Here are some options on how to solve your problem.

1. Combine one cup of salt with one gallon of boiling water, making sure it gets adequately dissolved. While hot, pour the water mixture directly onto the weeds.
2. Sprinkle the saltwater at the base of the weeds you want to get rid of. Adjust the amount you use depending on how big your patch of weeds is. So consider that when purchasing your salt. A quarter cup of salt will kill a smaller patch of weeds, so you’ll want to use more if you’re targeting a larger area.
3. Combine a half cup of salt with one quart of white vinegar, and mix until it has dissolved completely. Pour the mix into your spray bottle and spray it onto the weeds.

Fleas

When fleas take over your home, they can get anywhere. Any place your dog or cat visits, fleas will be present. Carpets, rugs, and upholstered furniture are particularly vulnerable to infestation. So is your car as if your pets have been in there. Adult fleas jump from animals to different surfaces and lay their eggs. These eggs hatch larvae that can get caught in any threads, creating an infestation problem. Vacuuming and steam-cleaning carpets and rugs will help, but there are cheaper and more natural ways of solving your problem. You guessed it! Your flea problem can disappear with salt. Same as with the ants, this ingredient acts as a dehydration tool and dries out the bodies of the fleas.

1. Sprinkle some salt evenly over your carpet and brush it in. Leave it on your carpet for 12 to 48 hours, then vacuum well. Salt loves moisture, so do not leave it in for too long in very hot or humid conditions. Otherwise, you’ll end up with salty, wet carpets. 1 1/2 lbs should be enough to treat a two-bedroom apartment thoroughly.
2. For a more severe infestation, you can mix the salt with Borax. Use the same technique as with the refined salt. However, check with the carpet manufacturer to be sure yours can withstand boric acid. While boric acid is generally non-toxic, long-term exposure to boric acid may cause health conditions in humans and pets, so this treatment should be used cautiously.

Clean your Iron

Using salt to clean your iron is a simple and effective way to get out stains and protect the iron for years. Using large grain salt, you can iron over them to remove stains. You can achieve additional stain-removing power when combining salt with materials like newspapers, ammonia, and aluminum foil. Here are some tips!

1. Turn on your iron to a higher setting and let it warm up, leaving it a few moments for the iron to reach its highest level of heat.
2. Take a few paper towels and fold them together until you get a compact square about the size of a CD case. Pour some salt, around one tablespoon, onto the paper towel.
3. Once your iron is has heated up, run the iron over the paper towel with the salt in it. Spend a minute or two doing this, which should clean the bottom of the iron thoroughly. The dirt sticks typically to the salt, leaving you with a clean and shiny iron.

Clean Your Coffee Maker

While we’re on a cleaning roll, your iron isn’t the only one that can use the love! Remove any coffee stains from the inside of a glass coffee pot by adding one cup of crushed ice, four teaspoons of salt, and one tablespoon of water. Gently swirl it around until it’s clean, and just rinse. Your coffee pot should be at room temperature before using this tip, and don’t do this if the pot is cracked or chipped. You can also restore the shine to a glass flower vase.

1. Just mix 1/3 cup of salt and two tablespoons of vinegar to form a paste. Apply this mix to the inside of your vase and let it stand for about 20 minutes. Rinse the vase and dry.
2. For a larger vase, just double or triple the quantity of the paste.

Stain Remover

Instead of filling up your life with endless bottles of cleaning products, make the most of what’s already in your kitchen! With these fantastic tips, you can save some money, get more use out of the materials you already have, and avoid the headache of those frustrating stains! You can use salt to remove stains, watermarks, and mildew and even get rid of that annoying rust.

1. Wine and tomato stains are much less of a hassle when using some salt. After you’ve absorbed most of the liquid with a cloth or paper towel, immediately cover the damp stain with salt, and it will help draw out the wine. Rinse it well with cold water and repeat the process if necessary.
2. You can get rid of sweat stains too, with a simple salt and water solution. Combine four tablespoons of it with a quart of hot water and wipe the fabric with it. The ugly stains should disappear.
3. Whether it’s on your vegetable peeler or kid’s bike, rust is an unwanted vision. To get rid of it, add three tablespoons of salt for every one tablespoon of lemon juice, and apply the paste to the rusted area. Watch how the rust disappears by wiping it with a dry cloth. This trick also works to wipe out mildew!
4. Watermarks on wood surfaces are also a side effect of your daily life. To rid yourself of the stain, all you need to do is mix up a paste of salt and some cooking oil, apply it to the affected area with a sponge, and leave it for a few minutes. The stain should disappear after you wipe it away with a soft cloth and let it dry.

Clean Artificial Flowers

Fresh flowers are fantastic to look at. Creating different floral designs of fresh-cut flowers in vases can bring instant pop and color to any space. However, some people who are allergic to pollen from flowers have to avoid them. If you have such allergies, artificial or fake silk blooms are a great alternative. They are relatively low-priced and can last for a considerably long time as long as they receive the proper care. Learn how to clean your artificial and silk flower arrangements to keep them looking better, longer.

1. If you want to clean an arrangement, you can put it in a paper or plastic bag and add some grainy salt. Shake the bag continuously until the flowers are all clear of dust and dirt. The salt absorbs the dirt and dust, leaving your small silk flowers all clean.
2. If you don’t have salt on hand, you can also use baking soda.

Clean Up Oven Spills Fast

Maybe you were distracted, maybe you didn’t know the recipe, or perhaps you should just stick to your day job. Whatever the reason, instead of cursing in the oven’s general direction, use this quick and easy tip to catch any spills that happen when cooking. If a dish bubbles over in the oven, pour a handful of salt on top of the mess. It won’t smell, and most importantly, will bake itself into a crust that makes the mayhem easier to clean once it’s cooled.

1. Take a fistful of table salt and throw it over the hot bubbly mess. This works for any type of oven.
   It would be smart to do this when the spill is new. Just be careful not to burn your arm.
2. Let your food continue to cook and take it out when finished.
3. Once the oven cools, you can easily wipe the oven’s floor. The salt prevents it from sticking!
   Such an easy answer for a potentially messy mistake.

Epsom Salt

White Epsom salt contains magnesium and sulfate, the two substances that are known to reduce inflammation. They may also relieve your pain. However, the most crucial aspect of using Epsom salt for stings is that it helps draw out the stinger to the surface of your skin. So, if you are not sure whether the whole stinger has been pulled out of your skin, this is your way to go.

1. Fight the swelling of bee stings by using an anti-inflammatory Epsom salt compress. Mix two tablespoons of it with a cup of cold water, and soak a cotton washcloth in the solution. Apply to the affected area. The same applies to mosquito bites.
2. Also, soak in a cool Epsom salt bath for about 15 to 20 minutes to help with muscle pain. It may also reduce swelling and inflammation. The theory is that Epsom salt draws out toxins and increases relaxation.

Bonus Tips:

Defrosting Windows?

Here’s how to keep the windows in your home or car frost-free with your saltwater solution. Dip a sponge in the solution, wash the inside of your windows with it, and rub them dry. This keeps the windows from frosting up in cold weather. For your car windows, dampen a small cloth bag and fill it with salt. Rubbing this on your car’s windshield should keep snow and ice from gathering on it. The science behind this is that this saltwater mixture freezes at a lower temperature than regular water.

Clean Up Your Dropped Egg

Unless you have a dog, cleaning up spilled eggs off the floor is always a slimy activity. When you miss your bowl or drop the egg on the way to your countertop, cleaning it up is all about salt. As you probably assume, raw eggs don’t really want to stick on paper towels or sponges. Even if they do, it will take a few moves to get things wiped up and clean again. The salt gives the egg something to stick to and makes it easier to pick up. If you drop an egg on your floor, throw some salt over the mess and leave it there for about 20 minutes, and you’ll be able to wipe it right up.

Tame a wild BBQ

Toss in some salt on the flames caused by fat dripping from the grill. It will reduce the fire and calm the smoke without cooling the coals as water would. Salt is a suitable means to suppress flames and flare-ups without cooling the coals. It’s something that could be used to calm the fire down without adding steam like water can, and is a safe, known compound so you wouldn’t be risking getting something harmful on the meat. Another bit of info we found out is that when cooking with Japanese Binchotan charcoal, chefs will throw rock salt at the coals to knock off the white ash around them, exposing more of the red hot surface.

Drip-proof candles

Candles are a simple way to add a decorative touch to a room’s look. They’re great to have around for cold nights, and they can help keep any place smelling great. Plus, they can be unique gifts! But while candles look lovely in your home, they also come with their own set of problems. Don’t want hot and messy wax dripping on your furniture? You can make your candle “dripless” by soaking it in a simple solution of water and salt. Dissolve it in water until it doesn’t dissolve anymore. Immerse your candles into this mix, and let them soak for a few hours. Take them out and dry them off entirely before you use them!

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