Salt isn’t just for flavoring your food. Thanks to HGTV magazine, I just learned of 6 amazing ways to use salt around the house to fix some oops and clean a variety of items from tools to body parts.

1.   Remove the stains from a coffee mug

Pour half a teaspoon of salt into a stained coffee cup or teacup, scrub with a dry paper towel, then rinse.  The alkaline in the salt gets rid of discoloration from coffee or tea like magic.

2.   Neutralize a stinky sink

After cooking smelly things like onions and garlic, add a heaping tablespoon of salt to a quart of boiling water, then pour it down the drain to clear away odor-causing grease and bits of food

3.   Lift wine stains

Instead of cleaning a stain with a wet cloth, which can make it spread, blot the area with a dry cloth.  Then pour on a heaping mound of salt to help lift the stain off the fabric.  Let it sit for 30 minutes, then blot clean with cold water and wash.

4.   Eliminate rust

Use a paste of six tablespoons of salt and two tablespoons of lemon or lime juice on a dry cloth to wipe away rust from almost anything metal.  Use on bicycles, outdoor furniture, and tools.  Rinse thoroughly.

5.   Clean a cast iron skillet

Ad a splash of water and a teaspoon of Kosher salt to a cast-iron skillet.  Use a paper towel to wipe off food without causing the pan to lose its seasoning.

6.   Use as a body scrub

There are many exfoliating products for the body on the market but you can make a scrub at home with just a bit of sea salt.  Just mix two parts sea salt and one part grape seed oil and you’ve got a great exfoliating body scrub.

I learned quite a bit from this article in the HGTV April issue.  I think the wine tip and the stinky sink fix will come in especially handy at our house.  Did you learn anything new?  What will you try first?

– S.O.
POB Agency