One of the most common ingredients in our kitchen, salt, can be used in so many clever ways. We came up with 48 new ways to use table salt that you may not have known about. I have been collecting life hacks tips and tricks since I began my blog in 2009. They are a reader favorite.
Genius Life Hacks Using Table Salt that Everyone Should Try!
Life Hacks Using Table Salt in the Kitchen
Clean up oven spills – if your baking pan spills over onto the bottom of your oven, pour salt on the spill (carefully with an oven mitt) and then sweep out the spill after the oven cools.
Revive bitter coffee – add a pinch of salt to your overcooked coffee to get rid of bitterness.
Clean coffee and tea stains from mugs – add just a tablespoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar into the stained mug and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Scrub the mixture and then wash and dry the cups.
Clean a coffee pot or teapot – put salt and ice cubes into the pot and shake them around and then r Rinse and drain it.
Remove smells – if you are cooking with fish, onions or garlic, wet your hands and then rub them together with about a tablespoon of salt to remove smells. You can also add a squirt of lemon juice.
Deodorize a wooden cutting board – Don’t put wooden cutting boards in the dishwasher, sprinkle salt over the cutting board and scour it using half a lemon. Rinse the salt and lemon juice off with water and let the board dry.
Clean greasy pans – Sprinkle a generous amount of salt in the pan to soak up any grease. Wait about 10 minutes and then scrub with the salt around to remove particles of food and grease and then wash with hot soapy water or put in the dishwasher to finish the job.
Clean sponges – soak them overnight in a mixture of 2 cups of water and a quarter cup of salt.
Clean the garbage disposal – freshen up your garbage disposal by putting a half cup of salt down the drain and then run the cold water. Start your disposal and the salt will get rid of odors and help to clean the disposal.
Remove lipstick from glasses – sprinkle some salt onto the lipstick stain and rub gently with your fingers. The lipstick will come right off and then you can wash as normal.
Prevent grease splatters – add some salt to the pan before you begin frying foods to keep splatters down.
Clean refrigerator shelves – remove food. Mix a handful of salt in a gallon of warm water. Use a sponge to clean refrigerator shelves without using harsh chemicals.
Cleanup dough – after your finish rolling out the dough, sprinkle your countertop or cutting board with salt and it will be easier to clean up the extra bits of dough.
Clean up a dropped egg – cover the egg with salt, and wait about 10 minutes. The salt will turn the egg mess into a crumbly sand that’s easy to wipe up.
Quickly chill white wine – put the bottle in an ice bucket with ice, water and a handful of salt. Twist the bottle to stir the salt around, and the wine will be chilled quickly.
Peel hard-boiled eggs – add a teaspoon of salt to your water before placing the eggs in it to boil and the shell will peel right off.
Make perfect poached eggs – sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon salt into the water just before you put in your eggs. This helps to “set” the whites. You can also add a splash of vinegar.
Test your egg’s freshness – add 2 teaspoons salt to 1 cup water and gently place the egg in the cup. A fresh egg will sink and an old one will float.
Shell pecans easier – soak the pecans in salt water for several hours before shelling, and the meat will come cleanly away from the shells.
Wash spinach – wash your fresh spinach in salted water. The dirt will be rinsed out with the salt water and you can get the spinach rinsed faster.
Keep salad crisp – lightly salt your salad immediately after you make it, and it will remain crisp for several hours.
Revive wrinkled apple skins – soak them in mildly salted water to make the apple skin smooth again.
Stop cut fruit from browning – to ensure that cut apples and pears retain their color, soak them briefly in a bowl of lightly salted water.
Add a pinch of salt to homemade whip cream and the cream will whip up lighter.
Add a pinch of salt before you beat eggs and the eggs will beat faster and higher and will firm up better when you cook them.
Prevent mold on cheese – wrap cheese in a napkin soaked in salt water before storing it in the refrigerator.
Life Hacks Using Table Salt in the Laundry Room
Set the color of new clothes and towels – add a tablespoon of salt to the wash to help seal in the fabric color.
Brighten formerly white cotton fabrics – (such as white t-shirts or perspiration stains.) Place yellowed cotton fabrics in a pot of water. Add 1/4 cup salt and 1/2 cup baking soda, and then bring to a boil. Turn off the heat. Let it soak for at least three days, then rinse with cold water and lay flat to dry.
Get rid of mildew – make a paste from salt and lemon juice. Rub the paste on the stain, then let dry (ideally in the sun) and then was the clothes in the washing machine.
Get out grease stains – mix 1 part salt to 4 parts rubbing alcohol and rub into the fresh stain and then wash as normal.
Deodorize shoes and boots – sprinkle some salt into your shoes at night, then shake them out in the morning.
Clean your iron – If something has melted onto your iron, sprinkle some salt onto a piece of wax paper and then move the hot iron over the paper and the iron should come clean.
Pre-treat an oil stain – if you spill salad oil or dressing on your clothes, pre-treat the stain with salt to absorb the grease and then wash as usual.
Life Hacks Using Table Salt in the Bathroom
Relieve bee sting pain – if you are allergic to bee stings, see a doctor immediately. If you are not allergic and simply in pain from a sting, mix salt and water into a paste and apply to the bee sting immediately and cover it with a compress. Leave the paste on for 30 minutes.
Soothe a sore throat – dissolve ½ teaspoon of salt in an 8-ounce glass of warm water and gargle it to temporarily relieve throat pain.
Unclog a drain – mix together one cup salt, one cup baking soda, and half cup white vinegar and pour the mixture down the drain. Follow with 1/2 cup of white vinegar, and let sit for 15 minutes and then carefully rinse that down with a pot of boiling water.
Life Hacks Using Table Salt Throughout the House
Clean wicker furniture – scrub your outdoor furniture with a stiff brush dipped in salt water and then let the furniture dry in the sun.
Remove watermarks from wood – make a wet salt paste and gently rub it into the ring until it the watermark disappears. You should test this in an area that does not show first and then polish as normal.
Stop candles from dripping – make a saltwater solution of 2 tablespoons of salt for every 2 cups of water. Soak your candles overnight and then set them out to dry.
Polish brass or copper – to shine your candlesticks or remove green tarnish from copper pots, make a paste by mixing equal parts salt, flour, and vinegar. Use a soft cloth to rub this over the item, then rinse with warm, soapy water and buff them back to their original shine.
Prevent icy windows – dip a sponge in salty water and rub on the inside of your windows. This will stop any ice from forming.
Hold artificial flowers in place – fill a vase or other container with salt, add a little cold water, and arrange your artificial flowers. The salt will solidify, and your flowers will stay in place.
Clean artificial flowers – place them in a bag with some salt and shaking them around and the dust and grime will come off.
Clean flower vases – if you have a residue inside your flower vase, rub it with salt, then wash with soapy water. If your hand won’t fit inside, fill the vase with a strong solution of salt and water, and them swish it around or use a bottle brush, and then wash.
Ease fireplace cleanup – your fire will burn out more quickly if you douse it with salt (use caution!). You will wind up with less soot and the salt will make it easier to sweep up the ashes.
Clean up a red wine spill on the carpet – blot the stain with a damp sponge, then generously pour salt over it. Let it set for about 8 hours or overnight. The salt will suck up the wine and then clean as usual.
Rid your garden of snails and slugs – pour salt onto the areas where you see snails and slugs and they will die.
Clean flowerpots – instead of making a muddy mess by washing the pot in water, just sprinkle a little salt and scrub off the dry dirt with a stiff brush.
Are there any Genius Life Hacks Using Table Salt we missed? Let us know in the comments, and please SHARE this article with your friends and family!
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