15 Best Uses for Table Salt

Interesting ideas

Sodium chloride is a mineral scientifically known as halite and is mined worldwide. Besides its traditional use in food, there are also useful tricks for using table salt in everyday life: 15 best ways to use it for more than just enhancing the flavor of cooked food have long been used by home cooks. In many cases, it helps clean your home and things just as well as using expensive chemicals.

Useful properties of table salt for everyday life

Sodium chloride (NaCl) has many more uses than just altering the flavor of prepared foods. While salt should be limited when consumed, it is used in household applications:

for cleaning surfaces;
when removing stains;
as a preservative.

Life hacks for using salt in everyday life

Every day, in the kitchen, in the living room, and in the bathroom, we encounter situations where we need to quickly clean a milk stain or remove spilled wine from a white carpet. Some of these methods were already known to our grandmothers and great-grandmothers. A wide range of household cleaning products appeared only 15-20 years ago. But even before that, housewives used salt to care for clothes, carpets, and to clean their homes of all types of dirt and stains, even the most stubborn ones.

Color fixation

Clothes fade slightly with each subsequent wash, and their color fades. You can stop this process with salt. Add about a quarter cup to your laundry detergent and run a wash cycle. This will help lock in the original color without adding chemicals.

Note!

It is best to do this specifically for new clothes, immediately after purchase.

Knife sharpening

If your kitchen knives are starting to wear out, they can be quickly sharpened with a special sharpener. To speed up the process, soak them in a water and salt solution for about 30 minutes before sharpening. This will speed up the process and reduce scratches on the blade from contact with the whetstone.

Cleaning a burnt iron

When scorch marks become visible on the soleplate, they can be easily removed with table salt. Sprinkle a 1-centimeter layer of salt onto a sheet of paper and iron until the iron surface is clean. You'll quickly notice the dirt starting to peel off in chunks. This won't damage the iron surface; this method works well for cleaning all types of iron coatings, including ceramic ones.

Bleaching curtains

Salt is an excellent, well-known bleaching agent for curtains. After washing, soak them in salted water for 10 minutes. They will become even fresher and shinier. One cup of salt per 5 liters (0.5 gallons) is enough to restore the dazzling shine of whites. This method is suitable for bleaching tulle, white shirts, socks, and other items.

Removing unpleasant odors

Kitchen salt is excellent for removing unpleasant odors. If you can't get rid of the smell of fish, rub your hands with it. You can also sprinkle it in a saucer and put it in the refrigerator to remove the odors of cooked food. If you have unpleasant odors from pans, pots, plates, glasses, or sinks, salt is also useful for removing them. Simply mix it with water, rub the surfaces, let it sit for 10 minutes, and rinse with water.

Cleaning cuffs and collars

If they're dirty, prepare a solution of 3 tablespoons of food-grade ammonia and ½ teaspoon of salt. Use this to remove stains. Apply it to all shiny areas, rub, and let sit for 20 minutes. Then rinse the items in warm water and machine wash with laundry detergent.

Carpet cleaning

Regular carpet cleaning is an essential part of home cleaning. Salt is also a good choice for this purpose, rather than allergenic household chemicals. Make a paste of salt and water, sprinkle it on the carpet overnight, and vacuum it up in the morning or shake it out on a pull-up bar with a special carpet beater. This cleaning method will remove all the dust and also refresh the carpet's color.

Warmer

Salt retains heat well and can be used as a heating pad. Heat the salt in a frying pan or oven, pour it into a cloth bag, and use as directed. Mixing it with a few drops of eucalyptus oil can be used as a nasal warmer for colds, rheumatism, and other ailments.

Cleaning tiles

Thanks to its abrasive properties, salt makes an excellent natural exfoliant. Mix it with baking soda in a 1:1 ratio, add water, create a cleaning paste, and apply to all stained surfaces. Rub with a sponge, leave for 20 minutes, and rinse with warm water. This method can be used to clean:

taps;
toilet;
bathroom;
sink;
mirrors.

Note!

Salt can be mixed with a chlorinating agent to enhance the bleaching effect.

Cold accumulator

A sodium chloride solution freezes very slowly. This property is used to create a virtually free cold storage solution. Make a saturated solution: 1 kilogram of salt per 3 liters of water. Pour the solution into plastic bottles and freeze for 2-3 days. Wrapped in cloth, they retain the temperature for up to 6 hours, making them ideal for travel or picnics.

Removing red wine stains

To remove fresh and old red wine stains from carpet, sofas, and other items, make a paste of salt. Apply it to the stain, let it sit for 30 minutes, rinse with warm water, and, if possible, machine wash the item as usual. For white surfaces, it may take 2-3 washing cycles to completely remove red wine stains.

Removing lipstick stains from dishes

Dishwasher tablets and dishwashing liquids can't always remove lipstick and lip gloss stains from glasses and cutlery. To make cleaning easier, apply a salt paste to the rim of the dishes, then run them through a full cleaning cycle. This method also helps remove stubborn stains from greasy dishes from glassware: apply salt to the stains, then wash under running water or in the dishwasher.

Extending the life of your broom

A regular broom will break much less if, after purchase, you soak it in a strong salt solution – 1 kg per 10 liters of hot water for 1 hour. This method has been used by housewives for centuries. After soaking, let it dry completely. This will strengthen the branches, making them more resilient, and increase the lifespan of any broom made from 2-3 times.

Cleaning a stove from boiled-over milk

Removing burnt milk from a cooktop can be difficult. A salt paste can help restore its original appearance. Apply it to the stains, rub with a sponge, and leave for 15 minutes, then rinse. This method is suitable for removing burnt stains from soups and other foods. The crystals don't scratch surfaces, unlike powders.

Restoring dish sponges

After a few uses, foam sponges lose their original appearance and develop an unpleasant odor. This can be eliminated by soaking them overnight in a salt solution. Mix 1 cup of crystals with 3 liters of hot water, dissolve, and leave the sponges in the solution. Rinse them in the morning and you're ready to use them again.

Note!

This method can also be used to whiten and remove unpleasant odors from old kitchen towels.

Salt is a unique natural mineral that not only makes food tastier but also makes everyday life easier. Instead of buying dozens of expensive and not always effective chemical solutions that pollute the environment, just pick up a pack of regular rock salt and clean your home and various surfaces without harming allergy sufferers, children, and pets.