Pass the salt for efficient cleanups

My husband and I recently celebrated our wedding anniversary. Each year, I think about how far we have come, both as a couple and as individuals. We began dating when we were just in high school, and have literally grown up together. We have seen each other evolve over time, our preferences for styles, hobbies, goals and even tastes, maturing with each year.

While we now appreciate pleasantries like bottled wine over boxed, we often still enjoy the simple things that we grew up with. For instance, while we use a salt mill to grind fresh salt for the majority of our dishes, we turn to good old-fashioned table salt for foods from younger years like french fries and mashed potatoes. Even though we use it sparingly, we keep a bulk-size stash. It’s a good thing there are so many uses for it. If you want to salt something other than food, consider some of these alternative uses:

Clean juice or wine stains off fabric.

Pour salt on the stain while it is still fresh and then rub it in. It will help to absorb the liquid. Then, wash as usual. This also helps as a pre-treatment for grease stains.

Add sparkle to your steel.

Mix 1 tablespoon of salt with one-fourth cup vinegar or lemon juice. Add more salt as needed so that your mixture is gritty when you are done. Then, use a cloth to apply it to brass or stainless steel finishes.

Lift a grease stain.

Mix salt and rubbing alcohol in a 1-to-4 ratio and rub vigorously onto a fresh stain. Once the grease is lifted, allow the surface to dry and then remove the excess salt with a combination of a damp cloth and a vacuum.

Get rid of water spots.

Take a few tablespoons of salt, and rub them on water spots in glasses or glass vases. The salt will help to lift the spots off the sides of the glass. Then, scrub clean using water and a bristle brush. For particularly difficult stains, use dish soap as well.

Prevent weeds.

Sprinkle salt between the lanai or driveway bricks and wet the area down with water afterward. This will help to keep weeds from growing in these spots.

Polish brass and copper items.

Mix equal parts salt, vinegar and flour. Rub the mixture over the brass or copper item. Then clean with warm, soapy water and buff with a soft cloth.

Have a comment or question for Joanne? Email thefixisin@gmail.com.