Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in its natural form as a crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantities in seawater, where it is the main mineral constituent. The open ocean has about 35 grams (1.2 oz) of solids per liter of sea water, a salinity of 3.5%. Salt is essential for life in general, and saltiness is one of the basic human tastes. Salt is one of the oldest and most ubiquitous food seasonings, and salting is an important method of food preservation.
Salt is processed from salt mines, and by the evaporation of seawater (sea salt) and mineral-rich spring water in shallow pools. Its major industrial products are caustic soda and chlorine; salt is used in many industrial processes including the manufacture of polyvinyl chloride, plastics, paper pulp and many other products. Of the annual global production of around two hundred million tonnes of salt, about 6% is used for human consumption. Other uses include water conditioning processes, de-icing highways, and agricultural use. Edible salt is sold in forms such as sea salt and table salt which usually contains an anti-caking agent and may be iodised to prevent iodine deficiency. As well as its use in cooking and at the table, salt is present in many processed foods.
You can’t think of having your food without it, but salt has a number of other uses too, besides adding taste to your food. Here are some not-so-common uses of salt that you will be glad to discover:
In washing your veggies: Salt has anti-microbial properties and hence is an inexpensive means to clean your vegetables.
Cleaning artificial flowers and leaves: Place them in a bag with one cup salt and give them a good shake. It will remove most of the dirt and dust.
Removing stains from skin: Salt aids in removing fruit and vegetable stains from skin. Rub your hands with some salt and water and then rub them on stainless steel and see the stains gradually fade away.
Cleaning metal: You can clean metals like copper, brass silver to a sparkling shine by rubbing them with a mixture of salt and burnt charcoal.
Cleaning wood: Mix salt with warm water and clean your furniture with this mixture and then wipe with dry cloth.
Keeping ants away: You can keep ants away by sprinkling salt around drains, kitchen slabs or other areas frequented by them.
For killing weeds: Salt also come handy in gardening if you have to kill weeds. Just sprinkle salt around the weeds and pull them. They will not re grow again.
Keep milk fresh: Sounds unbelievable, but by adding a pinch of salt to milk you can prevent it from getting spoilt.
Remove foul smell: You can place a packet of salt in shoes, closets, racks and almirahs to remove old, stale smell.
For stronger teeth: Mix salt with your regular toothpaste/with mustard oil and massage your gums and teeth to keep them strong and free from disease.