Sunday, February 11, 2018

Salt of the Earth


Did you know the word for salary came from the word for salt? Salt was so valuable in ancient Rome that it was used as currency. Today, it's a pretty cheap staple that can be used for more than just a topping for fries. 

Here are some tips I've heard, but haven't tried out myself-- yet.

~Pour salt on a wine stain for easy clean up. (Thanks for the tip, Jo!)
~Clean silk flowers by tossing them and a quarter cup of salt in a plastic bag and shake gently.
~Reduce frost on windshields and windows by wiping down with a salt water solution.
~Clean your fish tank with salt (non-iodized). Pour a little on a sponge to wipe down the inside.
~Soak enamel and ceramics in salt water to get rid of stains.
~Clean an electric coffee maker by running through a pot of water with a few tablespoons of salt to clean away the grime and freshen up the flavor.
~Pre-treat stains while out with some salt on the table.
~Soak pit stains in hot salty water to get rid of the yellow stains.

Here are a few salt tricks I have tried and love. 

~Salt is a great deodorizer. Hands smell like onions after cooking? Pour some salt on your hands and then wash them.
~Soak drinking bottles in salt water overnight to get rid of funky smells.
~Use a salt water solution to kill weeds.
~For nearly impossible to clean items, pour salt, ice, and a bit of water in the container then shake or stir to clean it out.

My dirty coffee/tea carafe.
The tiny neck makes it impossible to scrub.
Pour salt, ice, and a little bit of water in the bottom and swirl. 
Rinse and it's clean.

~During the last snow storm, I went to Wal Mart to get salt for my front steps and accidentally got water softener salt instead of rock salt. Best mistake ever! At first, my husband was skeptical. They are huge pellets- sort of like throwing gravel on your walks. They are slow dissolving, so they stayed on the sidewalks for two days of snow and kept  clear of snow and ice.

Water softener pellets. My new favorite snow removing tool. 
Who knew that salt was even funny?



3 comments:

  1. Hi Elizabeth ... I did know where salary came from originally ... then there's the salt tax with a border control of a looong hedge in India! I knew about some of the qualities of salt and use them occasionally - however your pellets of water softener salt makes for interesting reading - though I hope that's not needed here again til much later in the year - Cheers Hilary

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    1. I'd forgotten about the salt tax. It's hard to imagine that salt used to be so rare and valuable-- now we throw it on roads and sidewalks. Go figure!

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  2. There is also the expression "above the salt" not used so much these days, but meaning the more important. This came from the manors where everyone dined in the same hall and if you were seated at the part of the table above the salt, you were obviously more important. Some good ideas there, some I knew, some not. Promise you the wine one does work so long as you put enough salt on the wine spill.

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