Non-standard use of salt in everyday life

Regular salt is a preservative, a vital element of the diet and simply a classic flavoring additive. It is also an excellent assistant in solving household problems and an excellent substitute for many products purchased in the household chemicals department. Don't believe me? Well, let's check it out.

Universal air freshener

The first thing you can do is get rid of the unpleasant smell in the refrigerator. To do this, you just need to mix equal parts of salt and soda, dilute the resulting mixture with water and wipe all the shelves with the resulting solution. There will be no trace of the unpleasant smell. Well, to consolidate the effect, you can put a jar with a dry mixture of salt and soda on one of the shelves.

But if you mix sodium chloride with cinnamon and heat this mixture in the microwave or oven, then this technique will stop emitting aromas. The method helps even if the source of the smell is burnt fat.

Escaped milk can cause a lot of inconvenience, which is manifested mainly by smoke and a burning smell. Both can be easily prevented if you quickly fill the “puddle” with salt. In addition, using this method can also greatly facilitate subsequent cleaning of the stove.

Well, if you are worried about an unpleasant smell in your living rooms, then simply cut any citrus fruit in half and sprinkle it generously with salt.After this, all that remains is to place the natural flavor in convenient places and enjoy the natural freshness.

Budget stain remover

Grape juice and red wine, if accidentally spilled, leave stains that are difficult to remove. But if you cover the “affected area” with table salt and let it sit there for 15–20 minutes, and then soak the item in cold water for another half hour, then the washing machine will cope with the subsequent removal of stains even without special products.

With blood it is somewhat more difficult: to remove it from clothes, you cannot do without a long soak in salty cold water. This will be followed by washing in warm soapy water. Well, the final touch is a high-temperature washing machine or boiling, if the fabric can withstand it.

And if you need to deal with a greasy stain, a solution made from one part salt and four parts alcohol will help out. It needs to be applied to the stain, and after about 10 minutes the product will do the job.

If you dilute a glass of salt in 8–10 liters of water intended for the final rinse, then dark silk and taffeta will not lose their shine. And adding salt during the last rinse makes it easier to dry things in winter - they don’t freeze, quickly giving up moisture to the frosty air.

Cleaning agent

Now let's go back to the kitchen. There are sometimes aluminum and cast iron frying pans with burnt fat. So, to keep these dishes sparkling clean, it is recommended to wipe them with salt after each frying. Just pour sodium chloride onto the problem area and wipe it with a paper towel - there will be no trace of soot left.

The same method will also help you cope with the consequences of forgetfulness: by pouring salt into a baking sheet or pan in which something has burned, you can greatly facilitate the battle with soot.

Yellowed glass or darkened crystal can also be easily restored to its original appearance. It is enough just to mix equal parts of salt with vinegar and wipe the problem areas with this solution. After a few minutes, all that remains is to rinse the dishes in clean water.

For those who have cutlery made of silver or cupronickel, another piece of advice will be useful. Simply boiling in salt water helps to restore the noble shine of these products. And if you first place a piece of aluminum foil on the bottom of the pan, then even serious darkening will disappear without a trace.

The heroine of our article also makes it easier to care for copper. To restore the shine to products made from this metal, just wipe them with a paste of equal parts of salt, flour and vinegar, and then wipe with a paper towel.

If you mix sodium chloride with lemon juice, the resulting paste will help to cope with rust deposits that spoil the appearance of the sink, bathtub or toilet. Just apply the product to the problem area and wait a few minutes. After this, the plaque will be washed off well even with a simple sponge.

Culinary tricks

By dipping an egg into brine (a concentrated aqueous solution of salt), you can check its freshness: the old one will float to the surface, and the fresh one will sink to the bottom of the container. If you add a spoonful of salt to the water for boiling eggs, you can avoid unpleasant cracks and leakage of white from the shell. Another reason to use this trick is that it makes peeling boiled eggs noticeably easier.

A broken egg will also not cause much trouble if you cover it with salt.At the same time, the consequences of an “accident” on a hard surface can be removed immediately, but the consequences of landing on a carpet can be removed after 20 minutes.

Wrapping in gauze, previously soaked in brine, helps to increase the shelf life of hard cheese, cottage cheese and butter. And a pinch of salt added to fresh milk will prevent it from souring.

If the fish smells strongly of mud, then rinsing the carcasses in cold brine will help get rid of this smell. And preliminary salting (10–15 minutes before cooking) will make frying the fish easier, because the compacted flesh will stop “spreading” across the pan. And it’s easier to clean the fish if you dip your fingers holding the fish into salt from time to time.

Soaking dried mushrooms in salted milk is no less useful. After this, they can easily be compared with fresh ones both in elasticity and taste. And briefly immersing vegetables and berries in salt water helps rid them of insects (the method works best with cherries).

Household lifehacks

If you are tired of frost on the windows, you can prevent it from appearing on the glass by simply wiping the glass unit with a napkin soaked in salt water. This method will also be useful for motorists - you will have to scrape off ice from the windshield much less often after using this product.

By making a paste of salt and lemon juice, you can get rid of mold. This product also does an excellent job of whitening tiles, enamel surfaces, and stains on the keys of musical instruments.

Soaking the broom in hot brine (for 15–20 minutes) will extend its service life. The same rule applies to a toothbrush.

And finally: salt can help out in case of an ant invasion.To do this, you need to sprinkle it on the ant path, which will force the insects to look for ways around it.