How To Use Salt To Clean Your Home

If you add half a cup of salt to the mopping water, ceramic floors don’t get dirty and wooden floors shine as quickly.

Salt is a food that has been present in kitchens around the world for thousands of years. It used to be a precious commodity, but now it is affordable for everyone. But how do you use salt to clean your home?

There is much evidence against the indiscriminate use of sodium chloride in food as it can promote high blood pressure, kidney problems, and water retention.

Nonetheless, it can be a great helper around the house. So if your doctor has forbidden you to eat salt , you can at least use it for cleaning.

 The use of salt in the household

• Flowers stay fresh longer if you add a pinch to the vase.
• It also helps control weeds. Simply sprinkle it into the crevices and joints between the tiles and edges where it will usually grow.

• Put out oil flames.
• Repel ants by sprinkling it in the entrance area, around the windows, and under the doors.

• Just add a handful of salt to the final rinse to prevent clothes from freezing to the clothesline in winter.

• Avoid yellowing wicker furniture by applying it with a damp brush and letting it dry in the sun.
• Extend the life of your bathroom or kitchen sponges. Simply put them in salt water after use .
• Prevent ice on the windows of the house and car by rubbing them with a sponge soaked in salt water.

• It can also remove odors from shoes . Just give a pinch inside the shoe. This way, moisture and bad smells are quickly absorbed.

 Salt for house cleaning

• Remove the scorched or overflowing grime on casseroles, pans, pots, ovens, and stoves. Apply plenty of salt to the affected area and remove the dirt with paper towels.
• Remove  wine stains from fabrics. Sprinkle it on the stain, let it sit for a few minutes, and then rinse the garment (if it is clothing). If it is a carpet, simply rub it into the stain and clean it with the vacuum cleaner.
• It can also help with refrigerator cleaning. Wet the door and inside of the refrigerator with salt and soda water before cleaning it.

• Remove oxide stains from textiles by mixing a little with lemon juice and then letting the item dry in the sun. Then wash as usual.
• To remove marks or stains left on the wood by wet glasses, do the following: Rub some oil and salt into the stain, then let it sit for an hour.
• Remove grease from metal dishes. Put it on the dishes, then let it sit. Remove the excess and wash off as usual. You can use the same technique to remove the dark residue left by tea and coffee in the cups.
• Reduce the bad smells  in containers and bottles (both plastic and glass bottles). Simply put a tablespoon inside the container and then let it sit. Then, rinse the container with water and a cleaning product as you normally would.

More tips

• Remove the stains from the bathtub, sink, or kitchen sink. To do this, make a mixture of turpentine and salt. Rub this on the surfaces, then let the mixture sit for 15 minutes to help dissolve the unattractive yellow discoloration. Then use a damp sponge to remove the excess.

• Clean all of the floors in your apartment by adding half a cup to a bucket of water. Wipe the floors as you normally would. If it is a wooden floor, it will shine more, if it is made of ceramic, it will not get dirty as quickly.

• Make pieces of bronze, pewter, silver, and copper shine. Mix equal parts oil, flour and salt. Apply the mixture to the objects, then let them sit for 15 minutes. Carefully brush off the excess and dry the parts with a cloth. Then polish the object.
• Prevent bad smells and oil in the sink. Make a paste of vinegar and salt, then flush it down the drain.
• Remove yellow stain from piano keys. Put lemon juice and salt on a soft cloth and use it to gently clean the keyboard. This way, you’ll remove any traces of moisture and wear and tear. You can use the same mixture to clean ivory or marble objects.

A few more tips

• Extend the life of brooms by soaking them in hot water with salt before using them for the first time.

• Make colored textiles made of natural fibers glow by sprinkling something in the washing machine.
• Remove sweat stains from clothing. Add four tablespoons to a quart of hot water. Rub the stain with a sponge until it disappears.
• It can also help remove traces of blood. Wet the stained area with salt water, wash the fabric with soapy water and boil it. This method only applies to textiles made from cotton, linen and natural fibers.

Images courtesy of  Casey Konstantine, Joanna Bourne, Charles Haynes, Aaron Stidwell