Tuesday’s Tips- Salt

Did you know that something that everyone has in their home can clean many things?  That something is salt! You can use it for cooking, cleaning, and preserving.  Here are some great salt tips.

1. Remove tea or coffee stains from light- colored cups by rubbing stained areas with salt and a little water.  Then wash.
2. Remove coffee and mineral stains from a glass coffee pot by adding 1 cup crushed ice, 1 Tbs water, and 4 tsp salt to pot when it is at room temperature.  Swirl, rinse, and wash.
3. If a sugary food boils over in your oven, sprinkle with salt.  Let it sit until the spill becomes crisp, then lift off with a spatula when oven cools.
4. Soak up a liquid spill on a stove top burner by sprinkling it with a mixture of salt and cinnamon.  Leave on spill to absorb excess liquid, then wipe away.
5. Clean burned on food from a stove top burner by sprinkling a mixture of salt and cinnamon, then wipe away immediately.  It will give off a pleasant scent and cover up any burnt odor the next time you turn on the burner.
6.  You can clean up your stove top easier if sprinkled with salt first.  It is mildly abrasive, but won’t scratch the surface.
7. To get rid of burned on food in a casserole dish, add boiling water and 3 Tbs salt to dish.  Let stand until water cools, then wash.
8. Get rid of excess grease in a pan by sprinkling with salt.  Then wipe pan with a damp sponge or paper towel, and wash.
9. To eliminate drain odors and break up grease deposits, pour a solution of 1 cup salt and 2 cups hot water down the drain.
10. Pour 1/4 cup each salt, baking soda, and dishwasher detergent into your garbage disposal.  Turn on hot water, then run garbage disposal for a few seconds to clean any debris and odors.
11. The tarnish on silverware can be removed by gently rubbing them with salt and a soft cloth and then washing them by hand with dish soap and warm water.
12. Clean a wood cutting board with soap and water.  Then wipe board with  a damp cloth dipped in salt until salt is gone.  The salt will leave the board looking and feeling fresh. (Never cut meat, poultry or fish on a wood cutting board.)
13. When you can’t get to the breakfast dishes right away, sprinkle plates with salt to prevent any egg from sticking.
14. Sprinkle salt into a thermos or other closed container  to discourage odors.  Leave overnight, then rinse.  Smells should disappear.
15. Try removing grease spots in a rug with a mixture of 1 part salt to 4 parts rubbing alcohol.  Rub hard, going in the same direction as the nap, then rinse with water.
16. To get rid of a red wine spill, blot up all moisture, then sprinkle with salt.  Let sit 15 minutes.  The salt should absorb any remaining wine.  Then clean entire area with a mixture of 1/3 cup vinegar and 2/3 cup water.
17.   When a hot dish or water has left a mark on a wood surface, make a thin paste mad of salad oil and salt.  Wipe on paste, then buff slightly as you wipe off with a soft cloth.
18. Clean slightly tarnished brass or copper with a sliced lemon dipped in salt.  Rinse.
19. Throw an occasional handful of salt into your fireplace fire to help loosen soot inside your chimney.
20. Soak candles in a strong solution of 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup salt for several hours to stop them from dripping.  Let candles dry.
21. Mix salt and cream of tartar, and add enough water to make a paste.  Apply to a rust stain on a piece of metal outdoor furniture; let sit in the sun until dry.  Repeat if necessary.
22. You can also make a paste out of lemon juice and salt.  Apply paste to rusted object, and rub with a dry, soft cloth.
23. Add 1/2 cup salt to wash cycle to prevent new colored fabrics from running.
24. The colors in washable curtains and fiber rugs can be brightened by washing them in a saltwater solution.
25. An iron with rough or sticky spots on it can be cleaned by running it, set on low, over a piece of paper with salt on it.