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My other post, 20 Uses for Baking Soda was so popular I figured I may as well do some more “uses for” articles. Salt is one of the forever foods, it’s not very expensive, and it has many great uses you probably didn’t know about.
Here are 20 reasons to stock up on salt:
1. Brush your teeth. Mix one part salt with two parts baking soda and put some of it on your toothbrush. It actually works pretty well.
2. Clean clothes. For sweat stains, rub some warm salt water on the fabric. For blood stains, soak the fabric in cold salt water, then wash it in hot soapy water.
3. Clean cast-iron cookware. Sprinkle some salt on cast-iron skillets and thoroughly scrub it with a paper towel.
4. Control flames. If the flames on your barbecue are getting out of control, toss salt on them. Some people use water, but that will just cool off the coals.
5. Cook food. Obviously, you need salt for many recipes, but you can also rub it on a skillet before making pancakes so they won’t stick.
6. Deodorize your shoes. Sprinkle salt in your shoes every once in a while. It will soak up the moisture and reduce odor.
7. Fix walls. White sheet-rock and plaster can be fixed with a mixture of one part salt, one part corn starch, and enough water to make a paste.
8. Keep milk fresh. Add a pinch of salt to milk to make it last longer. (By the way, adding a little salt to chocolate milk makes it taste delicious!)
9. Kill weeds. Since salt stops plants from growing, sprinkle salt in the cracks on pavement and between bricks, then use water to help it soak in.
10. Make candles drip-proof. Soak your candles in salt water overnight and then dry them out. If you do this, they won’t drip as much when you light them.
11. Melt ice. You probably already know this, but you can melt ice on sidewalks and driveways with salt. Make sure you have plenty of salt, though. You can go through a lot of it this way.
12. Preserve fruit. Dip peeled fruit in salt water to stop them from browning as quickly.
13. Preserve meat. Completely coat meat with salt and let it air dry for several weeks. Here’s a guide that explains everything you need to know.
14. Prevent grease splatters. Before cooking foods that splatter, add some salt to the pan first. If you do this, it won’t splatter as much and you won’t get grease burns.
15. Remove rust. Mix three parts salt with one part lemon juice. Rub the paste onto the rust with a wash cloth and scrub the rust away.
16. Scale fish. Before scaling a fish, soak it in salt water. If you do this, the scales will come off a lot easier.
17. Shell nuts. Before shelling nuts, soak them in salt water for a few hours. This will make them a lot easier to shell.
18. Soothe sore throats. Gargle with salt water several times a day to help relieve a sore throat. I’ve tried this countless times; it really works!
19. Stop ants. Sprinkle salt anywhere an ant could get into your house. This works really well because ants won’t usually walk over salt.
20. Treat itches. If you have a mosquito bite, a bee sting or any other type of itch, try soaking it in salt water. It’s not a perfect cure, but it will provide some relief.
Visit SaltWorks.us for a huge variety of salts you can buy in bulk. You can also get bulk salt at Costco or Sam’s Club.
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Another thing you can do with salt is make an aluminum pan about as non stick as a well seasoned cast iron skillet.
Take a few ounces of salt and an ounce or two of cooking oil and rub it into the pan.
It will take a bit of time though, probably 20 minutes or so. But after that you can cook an egg in it with just a hint of oil(about the same as you would a Teflon pan actually)
just remember you will have to clean it the same way as cast iron.
Wipe out the loose food and add a bit of salt and oil and scrub with a rag and wipe out. But unlike cast iron you must never put it in water.(the salt gets worked into the pores of the aluminum and prevents sticking, soaking in water will allow the salt to dissolve)