The Many Uses of Salt in the Home

Do you have salt in your kitchen? Most probably you do. It s an everyday kitchen item usually partnered with pepper that is used to add flavor to the meals we cook. It is also used as a preservative in some food items like salted eggs and salted fish. Salted foods last longer because the presence of the salt inhibits the growth of microorganisms.

Aside from the use of salt in the kitchen, there are a lot more ways that this item is used in the home. Listed below are just some of the ways we are able to use salt in the home.

Salt also acts as an antiseptic thus it can be used as a remedy for

relieving pink eye (also known as conjunctivitis or sore eye) and stye (or kuliti) - just dissolve a pinch of salt in warm water then use it to rinse the eye or use clean cotton balls dipped in the salt solution to wipe the infected eye.

relieving sore throat - prepare a salt solution as above and use it to gargle while warm. I use this whenever I feel that I'm going to catch a cold or will have a cough. I also asked my kids lately to gargle this salt solution because they are complaining of throat pain after having a flu and it helps. (This is actually the reason why I thought of writing this post).

cleaning wounds - since the salt solution is antiseptic it can be used to clean wounds. Of course, it would really sting.

as a mouthwash especially if you have gum problems, canker sore (or singaw). I remember that whenever I have my teeth cleaned at the dental clinic, the hygienist use a spray of salt solution as a final washing of my teeth. Tastes really salty!

Note: If the symptoms persist or conditions do not improve in 2-3 days, it's better to seek medical help.

Aside from these uses, I think salt is also used in cleaning or deodorizing like in removing grease stains in clothing (use one part salt 4 parts alcohol solution) and removing mildew (mix salt with lemon juice). One other use that I have for salt is in cleaning teats to remove milk residue and odor. Just sprinkle some salt inside the teat, scrub lightly to remove residue then wash with mild soap.