If you haven’t already guessed, I’m on a bit of a natural kick. Okay, it’s more than a kick. I’ll admit it. I haven’t washed my hair in over a month, I am using castor oil to cleanse my face (and seeing amazing results!), and when I’m suffering from not feeling my best, I pop some oils in my diffuser.
I’ve also found that using vinegar and baking soda in lieu of chemically-laden cleaners has given me some pretty awesome results.
And since I switched over to using sea salt for cooking, I have a ton of iodized salt that is sitting untouched. I hate to throw away food items (even if we won’t eat them), so I’ve been experimenting with using salt to help further boost the cleaning powder of my natural cleansers.
So far I’ve been super impressed!
I knew that you could do a salt scrub for exfoliation (LOVE them), but I never thought much about using its natural cleaning power…until now. Did you know that salt is gentle yet mildly abrasive, much like baking soda?
Clean With Salt
There are seriously a ton of different ways you can use salt to clean your kitchen, but these are by far my favorite.
Garbage Disposal Freshener
Did you know that salt helps eliminate odors? Toss 1/2 cup of salt into your garbage can or disposal to freshen things up.
Shine Your Sink
Make a salt scrub and get a super shiny sink by combining salt and water into a paste and rubbing down your stainless steel sink. Rinse with water and admire your brand new, shiny sink. This is a great way to get your kids involved in cleaning, too!
Remove Odors
If you hate chopping smelly foods, then this tip is going to be your favorite. To remove onion and garlic odors from your hands, just sprinkle half a lemon with salt and rub your skin where you’ve come in contact with the smelly foods.
Spills
Clean up wet spills on your stove top or counter by sprinkling salt to cover the liquid. Wipe up the salt soak after it cools or about 10 minutes. This trick has seriously saved my sanity.
Sanitize
Clean and sanitize your cutting boards using nothing but water and salt. Just wet your cutting board and sprinkle with salt. Rub the salt in and allow it to sit for a few minutes, then rise. Wash with dish soap or run through your dishwasher to get things super clean.
Stain Removal
Tired of coffee stains on your favorite mug or coffee pot? It’s really easy to remove them. Simply combine 1/4 cup of salt and boiling water, then pour the mix into your mug, percolator, or coffee pot. Allow the saltwater to cool before gently rubbing away the stains.
Clean Cast Iron Pans
Many people avoid cast iron pans because they feel that they are hard to clean, but if you use salt, it’s really easy! To clean your cast iron, make a paste of salt and water, and then use a cast iron scrubber to get the gunk out without stripping off the seasoning.
Shine Metal Pots & Pans
Use an equal combination of salt and vinegar to shine stainless or chrome pots and pans. Simply rub the paste in, wait a few moments, and then wipe it off and enjoy the sparkle!
I was amazed at what just a little salt and some (very minor) elbow grease could accomplish. I mean, did you ever think that you could actually clean with salt? I certainly didn’t. I guess it’s just a reminder to try something new every once in awhile.
As an added bonus, I honestly think that I’ve quite honestly spent less time cleaning and scrubbing since I stopped using chemicals…which makes me go “hmmmm”.
Do you think that it’s possible that chemical cleaners actually create more work? After seeing how quickly and easily natural options work, I’m certainly inclined to think so!
This is such a genius idea! I am always on the hunt for non toxic ways to clean my house and this looks like such a great option. My only question would be if the salty paste mixture would scratch up my granite countertops. Will try a small spot and see what happens!
I have not tried it on granite-but I would think it would be ok. Please let me know!
I use salt to clean my bellpeppers then put them in the freezer for me to use later. I didn’t know about the cast iron. My cast Iron is so hard to clean and who knew that I could use my salt. Great tips!
I didn’t know you could do that! Do you just salt them regularly? And cut?
I heard about the magical cleaning powers of salt. Isn’t it crazy how edible household food items can be used for other purposes??! i also love the packaging and the branding of the mason jar coarse sea salt.
I do too!
This is a great list. I know that salt is great for cleaning and scrubbing, but I didn’t know they can get rid of onion and garlic odors from your hands. I will try this!
Awesome!
It never occurred to me all the things that salt can do for the household. I especially love the tip about removing garlic and onion smells from your hands…What a useful trick! And can we really use it for cleaning appliances? Interesting.
It’s worked for me!
What an awesome natural way to keep things clean! Love this idea!
Thanks! I love using natural alternatives instead of harsh chemicals!
I love finding alternatives for how cleaning and such. There are so many ways to do things that everyone can pick a way they like. I never thought to use salt but i’m not shocked. It’s like when you use sugar in a facial scrub. Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome!
I had no idea that salt had so many uses! I use a lot of baking soda and vinegar for cleaning and we always recycle our newspaper by using them to clean glass around the house. I pinned this to my “household tips” board so I can go back to it!
Awesome! I’m working on another list for other common kitchen items 🙂
I have used vinegar, lemon juice, and baking soda to clean…but salt is a new one for me. I would definitely use it to clean out the garbage disposal. I can’t stand when that thing smells rancid.
Me either!
I don’t think I’d trust just salt to sanitize my cutting board. I’ll keep some soap around for that job! I will try it out on my stainless steel sink and my gas stove though!
Makes sense!