Household Uses
Salt Secrets
For years, salt has been used as an all-purpose household helper. Our
grandmothers probably used salt for hundreds of things besides flavoring
food. Many of these uses are still valid today. Plain household salt
can be used for a wide variety of things, from a deicer for slippery
walks to an environmentally friendly cleanser to an all-natural weed
killer. Collected here you will find some uses for salt that you may
never have considered!
Kitchen Applications:
Poaching eggs: Poaching eggs over salted water helps set the egg whites.
Preventing browning: Apples, pears and potatoes dropped in cold, lightly
salted water as they are peeled will retain their color.
Shelling pecans: Soaking pecans in salt water for several hours before
shelling will make nut meats easier to remove.
Washing spinach: If spinach is washed in salted water, repeated cleanings
will not be necessary.
Preventing sugaring: A little salt added to cake icings prevents them
from sugaring.
Crisping salads: Salting salads immediately before serving will keep
them crisp.
Cleaning Applications:
Cleaning tarnished silverware: Rub tarnish with salt before washing.
Cleaning copper pans: Remove stains on copper pans by salting area
and scouring with a cloth soaked in vinegar.
Removing onion and garlic odors from hands: Rub fingers with salt
moistened with vinegar.
"Sweetening" containers: Salt can "sweeten" and
deodorize thermos bottles, plastic storage containers, pitchers and
other closed containers.
Cleaning sink drains: Pour a strong salt brine clown the kitchen sink
drain regularly to eliminate odors and keep grease from building up.
Brightening wooden cutting boards: After washing them with soap and
water, rub bread and cutting boards with a damp cloth dipped in salt.
The boards will be lighter and brighter.
Other Applications:
Killing poison ivy: Mix three pounds of salt with a gallon of soapy
water and apply to leaves and stems with a sprayer.
Keeping windows frost-free: Rub the inside of windows with a sponge
dipped in a saltwater solution and rub dry; the windows will not frost
up in sub-freezing weather.
Moisten a small, cloth bag filled with salt and rub it on your car's
windshield to keep snow and ice from collecting.
Deodorizing sneakers: Sprinkling a little salt in canvas shoes occasionally
will take up the moisture and help remove odors.
Banner photo credit: Tony Williams
