Sunday, August 1, 2010

Salt Of The Earth...!


Since we covered some of the many uses of baking soda, I thought we would glance around in the pantry and see what else we could find for double duty.

One of the most obvious turns out to be table salt! How about that? Table salt!

The Almanac had a nice little list of some of the uses of salt, and I have borrowed just for educational purposes! See what you think...!

Household Uses for Salt

Salt certainly makes our food more flavorful, but it can also work to fix many of our unexpected items around the house. Here are some of our favorite household uses for salt.

When windows won't open and salt clogs the shaker, the weather will favor the umbrella maker.

Rub salt on fruit stains while still wet, then put them in the wash.

For mildew spots, rub in salt and some buttermilk, and then let dry in the sun.

If you spill wine or fruit juice on your tablecloth, pour salt on the spot immediately to absorb the stain.

Apply a paste of salt and olive oil to ugly heat rings on your table. Let sit for about an hour and then wipe off with a soft cloth.

To improve your iron, sprinkle salt on a piece of paper and run the sticky iron over it a few times while the iron is hot.

To restore some of the color to faded fabric, soak it in a strong solution of salt and water.

Mix a tablespoon of salt into the water of a vase of cut flowers to keep them fresh longer.

A mixture of salt and vinegar will clean brass.

Salt on the fingers when cleaning meat or fish will prevent your hands from slipping.

To kill unwanted weeds growing in your driveway or between bricks and stones, pour boiling salt water over them.

For perspiration stains, add enough water to salt to make a paste, then rub into the cloth. Wait for an hour, and then launder as usual.

Cover spilled eggs with salt, then wipe clean with a paper towel.

To freshen smelly sneakers (or any canvas shoe) sprinkle their insides with salt. Wait 24 hours for the salt to absorb the odor, and then shake them out.

Pour salt directly onto a grease spill and come back to it later.

A new broom will last longer if you soak the bristles in hot salt water before using it for the first time.

Stainless steel can be cleaned by rubbing it with a gritty paste of two tablespoons of salt mixed with lemon juice. Rinse well and pat dry with a soft cloth.

Rub two to three tablespoons of salt onto the stains inside your glass vases, and then scrub clean with a damp bristle brush.

Gargle with warm salt water (1/4 teaspoon salt to one cup water) to relieve a sore throat.

Sprinkle salt on carpets to dry out muddy footprints before vacuuming.

When silk flowers get dusty, put them in a paper bag with several tablespoons of salt and shake gently for two minutes to clean them.

Refresh household sponges by soaking them in cold salt water for ten minutes.


Well, it seems to me that some of these solutions might come in handy! This is the kind of information that might really come in handy some day! Then again...maybe not!

Better safe than sorry, right?

Coffee and iced tea on the patio today! No salt needed!

9 comments:

Momlady said...

And if, by chance, you get rust stains on your clothes make a paste of salt and lemon juice and set the piece of clothing in the sun. I've tried it and it works!
Wishing you a peaceful Sunday.

JoJo said...

Good Morning My Special One
Another great leasson, the only one I new was to use as a gargle for a sour throat. These sound like great tips as always.
I have some fresh ground coffee to bring to the table.

Mechanic in Illinois said...

I like to use rock salt in my shotgun, to get rid of 2 legged vermin. Thanks for another great lesson.

HermitJim said...

Hey Momlady...
Thanks for the information, lady! I appreciate it!

I thank you as well for the visit today!


Hey JoJo...
my family has been doing that for as long as I can remember!

All kinds of uses for the salt, that's for sure!

Thanks for coming by today, sweetie!


Hey Mechanic...
Now that one I've heard of before! Must be fairly effective!

Thanks for coming by today!

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Good tips HermitJim with baking soda and salt - heard some before, but then learned some new ones. Vinegar is another household item with many uses - ants don't like it for one. Thanks for the tips. No salt or baking soda with my coffee, please.

HermitJim said...

Hey Beatrice...
I know that some of these have been around for a long time, but it never hurts to put them out for study again!

I may have to do another post about vinegar just because it's such a useful item!

Thanks for coming by today!

Noki said...

Wow... First baking soda, and now salt. Tomorrow, are you doing vinegar? That's some powerful mojo, there.

Hugs,
Ashley

HermitJim said...

Hey Ashley...
I will do the vinegar some time, but I'm not sure if it will be tomorrow or not!

Almost sounds like the ingredients in a strange recipe, doesn't it?

Thanks for the visit today!

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