I'm continuing my budget-friendly series here with suggesting the myriad uses for common household items. Since green is all about saving money, your health and the planet, it makes sense to consider 10 things you can do with a jar of eco-friendly, common salt.
1. Freshen your waste disposal: Pour 1 cup of salt into the unit, run cold water and start the motor. The salt will dislodge grimy deposits.
2. Prevent grease from splashing: If you throw a few pinches of salt into the frying pan before frying fatty foods such a bacon, you'll prevent having to clean all the that grease off the hob.
3. Washing your Greens: It can be tough to wash greens such as chard, Kale and even spinach because of the little curly crevices. Wash the leaves in a sink half full of cold water and 1/2 cup of salt.
4. Mold prevention: In these tough economic times, we can't afford to let anything go to waste, especially an expensive piece of cheese. Prevent a hunk from going moldy by wrapping it in a napkin that has been soaking in salt-water prior.
5. Ditch the stain remover: Many stain removing sticks can be toxic. Instead make a solution with 4 tbsp of salt in 2 cups of hot water. This is especially good on yellow perspiration stains. Simply sponge the solution onto the stain and rub until the yellow disappears. Wash as normal.
6. Mouthwash: Most drugstore mouthwashes are expensive and contain dye, alcohol and sweeteners. Do it the old-fashioned way by mixing 1tsp salt and 1 tsp of baking soda in 8ounces of warm water. You can also add 5 drops of tea tree oil if you like the taste.
7. Salt Rub: Forego the expensive body scrubs and give yourself a homemade salt rub at home. Just dip your mitts into a large tub of sea salt and massage while your skin is wet and then shower off.
8. Pick up broken eggs: Have you ever tried to scoop up an uncooked egg that has smashed onto the floor? Extremely difficult—however if you use salt, easy! Cover the spill with salt as it will draw the egg together and wipe up with a recycled paper towel.
9. Remove baked-on food: When you are facing the awful task of scrubbing out a roasting pan, dampen the pan and sprinkle salt all over. The salt will lift off the baked on food.
10. Spruce up your mop: To prevent you having to run out and buy a replacement mop head (not my favorite activity), soak your mop in a bucket of water with 1 cup of salt overnight.
"In prayer, it is better to have a heart without words, than words without a heart." John Bunyan
The Whistle Collector wrote:
4. Mold prevention: In these tough economic times, we can't afford to let anything go to waste, especially an expensive piece of cheese. Prevent a hunk from going moldy by wrapping it in a napkin that has been soaking in salt-water prior.
Hmmm..... In the winter, most of my musical instruments live in containers with little dampened sponge 'humidifiers'. These work great, but start to show signs of mold after a few weeks. I toss and replace 'em, as needed.
Maybe a pinch of salt sprinkled on the sponge after each dousing will put that in check.
Thanks for the tip!
Charlie Gravel
“I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.”
― Oscar Wilde
The Whistle Collector wrote:
4. Mold prevention: In these tough economic times, we can't afford to let anything go to waste, especially an expensive piece of cheese. Prevent a hunk from going moldy by wrapping it in a napkin that has been soaking in salt-water prior.
Hmmm..... In the winter, most of my musical instruments live in containers with little dampened sponge 'humidifiers'. These work great, but start to show signs of mold after a few weeks. I toss and replace 'em, as needed.
Maybe a pinch of salt sprinkled on the sponge after each dousing will put that in check.
Thanks for the tip!
If you have a microwave those sponges can be wetted, wrapped, and zapped to clean them also.
As a spring suprise for my wife, I am going to spread salt all around our front porch. My wife (and me too) hate stepping on slugs when we're not wearing shoes. She's going to love me even more.
Rose tint my world. Keep me safe from my trouble and pain. 白飞梦
mutepointe wrote:As a spring suprise for my wife, I am going to spread salt all around our front porch. My wife (and me too) hate stepping on slugs when we're not wearing shoes. She's going to love me even more.
I'm not sure that little puddles of goo all over the front porch would be too endearing, mute.
Someday, everything is gonna be diff'rent
When I paint my masterpiece.
I read on a container of Morton's salt you can use it to clean silk flowers - put a cup of salt in a large bag, put the flowers in, and shake it up (closing the bag first of course). Supposedly, you take out the flowers and shake off all the dust with the salt! But I tried this and it did an OK job, there's still some dust on the flowers. Maybe I didn't shake it up long enough.
Wash your hands. Cough and sneeze in your sleeve. Stay home if you are sick. Stay informed. http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu for more info.
Salt can be used to clean aquariums. Most soaps are toxic to tropical fish. Salt in large amounts is too, but it is far easier to wash away salt residue than get all the soap off a glass fish tank.
For a cheap version of "aid dry clay" there is salt ceramic. Boil together salt, cornstarch, and water. Of course, the end result has the consistency of sandstone... but not as durable.
Tell us something.: "Tell us something" hits me a bit like someone asking me to tell a joke. I can always think of a hundred of them until someone asks me for one. You know how it is. Right now, I can't think of "something" to tell you. But I have to use at least 100 characters to inform you of that.
The Whistle Collector wrote: 8. Pick up broken eggs: Have you ever tried to scoop up an uncooked egg that has smashed onto the floor? Extremely difficult—however if you use salt, easy! Cover the spill with salt as it will draw the egg together and wipe up with a recycled paper towel.
My dog is excellent at this, but I have my doubts about how environmentally friendly he is...
djm wrote:You can make a circle of salt to protect yourself from demons. Make sure you are standing inside the circle, else it will not be as effective.
djm
I did this around my desk at the office. It worked.
