Do You Know These 12 Salt Secrets?

Vivian Goldschmidt, MA Lifestyle

Evidence-Based
6 min Read

In the Osteoporosis Reversal Program I explain the bone health benefits of sea salt and recommend that you avoid regular table salt. In case you’re still using table salt, today you’ll get a brief summary of why you should make the switch.

So you might be wondering what to do with all your leftover salt. Should you just toss it away? Not so fast, because salt is a great non-toxic household cleaning and beauty product replacement.

You see, the carton of acidifying table salt can give you shinier pots and pans, cleaner and brighter clothes, softer skin, and a poison ivy-free garden.

In this post, I will also give you 12 creative ways to use your leftover table salt. But first, let’s go over…

A Brief Salt Primer

While all salts come from the sea, table salt is a highly processed product. It is bleached to make it look white (natural salt typically has a light gray color) and has additives to prevent caking. Since natural anti-caking agents like calcium and magnesium carbonate are more expensive, most table salt contains man-made chemical additives like sodium ferrocyanide decahydrate or sodium aluminosilicate.

Additionally, about half of all the table salt in the U.S. is supplemented with potassium iodide. In ‘Iodine, Your Thyroid, and Your Bone Health', I explain why this is not a good idea for your bone health.

While salt in its natural state is alkalizing, processing and chemicals turn it into an acidifying substance. And that is why sun-dried sea salt without additives is alkalizing. It’s also naturally rich in calcium, potassium, sulphur, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, manganese, copper, iodine and zinc, many of which are Foundation Supplements.

I recommend that you use unprocessed sea salt on your food at home, in moderation. But when you’re eating out or having prepared food, simply sit back and enjoy your meal. A little bit of table salt won’t harm your bones if you’re following the Osteoporosis Reversal Program.

Don’t Throw it Out! 12 Money-Saving Uses for Table Salt

It’s been said that there are thousands of uses for salt. Here are my favorite ones:

1. Stain Remover Extraordinaire

Blood stain on that white shirt? No problem! Just sprinkle salt on the stain and blot with cold water. For stains that cover a larger area, soak the garment in a cold saltwater mixture for about an hour before washing in warm water. This works for gravy stains, too. For a fresh gravy stain, pour on the salt and let it absorb as much of the gravy as possible before washing.

2. Coffee Pot Magician

Do you have a stained coffee or tea pot that’s nearly impossible to clean? Just pour in enough salt to cover the bottom of the pot, then fill the pot with ice cubes and swirl the mixture around several times in each direction. If the pot is badly stained, you might need to repeat the process a few times, or let the salt and ice sit in the pot for about an hour before rinsing. A couple of cautions with this: If you have a glass coffee pot, make sure it’s at room temperature before you start – the glass could break if you add ice while it’s still hot. And be sure to rinse the pot well when you’re done – you don’t want your coffee or tea to taste like salt!

3. Bathroom Brilliance

You don’t need expensive and toxic chemical abrasives to clean dirty bathroom tubs and sinks. Table salt makes a great natural abrasive for removing all kinds of burnt-on or caked-on stuff.

4. Ant Deterrent

Ants can be pesky and persistent little creatures, but there’s no need to kill them. Once again, salt to the rescue. For a humane, pet safe, and inexpensive way to deal with an ant problem, first figure out where the ants are coming in (that’s usually pretty easy to do by following the trail back to a windowsill, doorway, or crack in a wall). Then sprinkle salt in those entryways. Ants can’t stand the crunchy feel of salt under their “feet,” so they won’t cross the salt barrier.

5. Bee Sting Soother

Sprinkle a bit of water on the sting, then add salt and cover with a Band-Aid so the salt can stay put and do its work.

6. Poison Ivy Destroyer

Have a patch of poison ivy growing in your yard? Get it before it gets you! Pour about a cup of salt into a gallon of water and spray the mixture on the poison ivy, making sure you spray both the leaves and the stem. Caution: This mixture will kill any plant, so be sure to spray only the poison ivy.

7. Copper Cleaner

Thought you needed a separate copper cleaner to get those copper-bottomed pots shiny? No way. Just sprinkle some salt on half a lemon (or a lemon slice) and use that to polish your copper.

8. Foot and Skin Care

There’s nothing better than a salt bath for getting your feet super clean. Soaking your feet in warm salt water is also a great stress reliever, so this remedy does double duty! And for a low-cost, natural exfoliant that will give you glowing skin, rub some salt on your face and body when you’re still damp after a bath or shower (then be sure to rinse it off!).

9. Canker Sore Cure

Canker sores can be extremely painful and hard to get rid of. The salt cure might sting a bit, but it’s very effective! Just make a warm salt water solution and swish it around in your mouth for at least ten seconds before rinsing. Do this around three times daily until the sore is gone.

10. Color Setter

Have you ever had a problem with bright colors bleeding in the wash? Not only do your lovely bright garments end up faded, but that one red blouse could turn your entire wash load pink. There’s an easy solution, and of course it involves… salt! Before you wash the item, soak it in a mixture of salt, water, and vinegar. Use about half a cup of each ingredient, and soak for about 30 minutes.

11. Ice and Snow Rescue

You might already know about using rock salt on icy driveways and steps. But if you don’t have a bag of rock salt on hand, table salt will do the trick.

12. Suds Stopper

Put a little bit too much soap in the washing machine, or too much bubble bath in the tub? Calm the bubbles with a sprinkle of salt.

I hope these tips make it easier for you to switch to sea salt.

Till next time,