Thursday, April 28, 2011

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.

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