Cleaning with Salt

Salt is easy to use, safe for your health and really cheap! It's also environmentally friendly.

The salt we are talking about here is table salt, common salt, or sodium chloride (NaCl).

Any ordinary table salt from the supermarket or grocery store works fine.

This is how to use salt in your cleaning programme.

General household cleaning:
Salt dissolves easily in water and can be used by itself or mixed with several other environmentally-friendly cleaners. You can combine it safely with vinegar, lemon juice, or washing up liquid.

Washing up:
Try it if you run out of washing up liquid. Just sprinkle a tablespoonful of salt into the water. Rinse the dishes well afterwards. You may want to wear gloves or use a skin cream after using it as salt is rather drying for your skin.

General cleaning:
Mix salt with vinegar for a good general purpose cleaner. Don't use it on lino, waxed surfaces, or marble. The vinegar may cause damage to the surface. Vinegar is one of the best general cleaners but use it a little diluted as it can be a bit overpowering.

Vinegar and salt can be used for many general household cleaning jobs, such as cleaning sinks and tiles and glass.

Salt will also remove stains from teacups and teapots.

Oven and hob spills:
Oven and hob spills can be covered with salt. Let the mixture stand for a few minutes. Add a little water if necessary. Then wipe up. The salt absorbs the liquids and helps lift them from the surface. It is particularly good at absorbing grease and oils.

Cleaning pans:
Salt can be a great cleaner for cast iron pans. Sprinkle salt around and then wipe clean. You can even do this instead of washing it in water (if the pan only lightly soiled.) It helps protect the surface and makes it behave more like a non-stick pan.

Alternatively, use it with hot water. Rinse the pan afterwards and brush with oil.

Burnt-on food:
Add 3 or 4 tablespoons of salt to burnt pans as soon as the damage occurs. This makes them easier to clean.

Cleaning metals:
Salt can be mixed with lemon juice to clean some metals.

Use lemon juice or lime juice and salt to clean brass and pewter. Sprinkle salt into an empty squeezed-out lemon half and rub down the metal. Rinse off the gunk and buff the surface to a shine with a soft cloth.

Other uses:
Salt is also a valuable cleaning product for laundry. Please see my web site www.greenfootsteps.com/cleaning-with-salt.html for more tips.