Green and Clean Uses for Salt

Hey, this is part of my never-ending quest to find stuff that you can really use - around your house, or to wear, or to, well, even clean stuff.

I knew about baking soda and vinegar already - but salt? Who knew? Well I recently found a super useful article on 46 Smart Uses For Salt!

Ordinary and Useful Salt
Ordinary, Everyday, Super-Useful Salt

Here’s a sample of how you can use salt (and avoid Overhyped, Overcommercial, Overtoxic Other Store Bought Products):

  • Prevent fruits from browning.
    Most of us use lemon or vinegar to stop peeled apples and pears from browning, but you can also drop them in lightly salted water to help them keep their color. (I tried this - it just takes a little!)

  • Relieve bee-sting pain.
    Ouch? Immediately dampen area and pack on a small pile of salt to reduce pain and swelling. (Supposed to help with mosquito bites, too. TOTALLY worth trying.)

  • Extinguish grease fires.
    Keep a box of salt near your stove and oven, and if a grease fire flares up, douse the flames with salt. (Okay, we all knew that one, right? and keep a full container of salt right near the stove - right?)

  • Dry clothes in the winter.
    Use salt in the final laundry rinse to prevent clothes from freezing if you use an outdoor clothes line in the winter. (I mean, this makes sense when you think about it - but since I’ve only tried drying clothes outside in the summer, I hadn’t thought it through.)

  • Repair walls (!)
    To fill nail holes, fix chips or other small dings in white sheet-rock or plaster walls, mix 2 tablespoons salt and 2 tablespoons cornstarch, then add enough water (about 5 teaspoons) to make a thick paste. Use the paste to fill the holes. (An alternative to the toothpaste trick. Better? I don’t know. But worth trying!)
  • Giving credit where it’s (totally) due - here’s a link to the original post over on Yahoo Green! There are lots more good tips for all kinds of uses.

    Salt is cheap - it’s one thing we’ve got a lot of on this planet! And it’s eco-friendly. And it works (at least one the ones I’ve already tried - which makes me think it really does work as advertised here!)

    And did I mention, cheap?

    Working out of a Cardboard Box - No, Really

    And it’s not what you think. At least, if you think it means carrying a box of stuff to wherever you are that day. Nope, this is more of an inspirational piece. These guys have an office with all their furniture (and etc, it looks like) made from cardboard. And it’s fabulous.

    Cardboard Box Office - 1
    Cardboard Box Office - 1
    Cardboard Box Office - 1

    The office is in Amsterdam. Is it my imagination, or is there a LOT of inspiration and innovation coming from that corner of the world?

    I haven’t tried to post all the pics here - go over to The Fast Company Blog to read the full article. And check out The Little Green Blog which is where I learned about this cool office. Little Green Blog is going on my check-it-a-lot list - there are so many green ideas over here. Not only green - but useful and practical and sensible.

    I’m not expecting we’re all going to go out and build our offices out of cardboard. But looking at these pics (and there’s more links to visit for ideas) it reminds me that ordinary materials can be turned into something pretty special. And it makes me want to figure out ways to use cardboard more. In layers, bonded together, cardboard is strong. And it can be - well, you know. Reused, rethought, and recycled :-)

    A Tea House - made entirely of recycled paper

    I saw the most amazing creation over at Ecofriend.org. This building is a teahouse, very much in the tradition of a handcrafted Japanese structure - but this one is made entirely of recycled paper.

    Recycled paper tea house
    Recycled paper tea house, view 2

    Now this time I’m not suggesting we should go build our house out of recycled paper - at least, not without an engineer’s knowledge of materials and how to adapt them to building techniques. But I do suggest that we could all be inspired by this structure.

    One, we can learn - or remember, because we already know it - the all-important concepts of reuse, rethink, recycle… and “rethink” is a real important part of that trio. Take a look at some of the stuff you’re about to discard. Some of it can have a new life. Some of it can have a very COOL new life. :-)

    And if a building out of recycled paper isn’t in your immediate future - what about an ottoman or footstool, built with “bricks” you made yourself of paper? Or… well, you’ll think of things. Unleash your Mad Creative Scientist and make something for yourself!

    Being Green and Still Manly and Check Out Rare Bird Finds!

    Oh I think you are going to love this! Rare Bird Finds is one of my fave online sites. The ladies at Rare Bird have an absolute knack at finding fun, funky, and special goodies. I saw one this morning that made me smile. An eco-friendly shopping bag that GUYS can use too - without feeling weird about it!
    Eco friendly shopping bag - that guys can use
    Is that not great?
    Honestly, you should put Rare Bird in your Favorites. There’s tons of, well, great finds there!

    Cool Tee - Organic and Eco Friendly

    Gotta love this. I was peeking around and found this majorly good-looking tee…. it’s casual but with a little extra spiff :-) That’s my kind of style…

    Then I read a little about it and saw it’s made with organic cotton and water-based inks (solvent free) which is very high on my list of “this is how clothes should be made”.

    Eco Friendly Tee - Yummy Colors

    It’s from Harrilu and no she didn’t bribe me to mention it - I just think her work is cool :-)

    Organic Gardening - at the White House!

    I was so tickled to learn that the Obamas (or somebody on their team, I guess) have decided that it’s a good idea to do some organic gardening at their new house :-) This is the kind of thing that’s only a symbol, I suppose, but it’s a pretty terrific symbol.

    Together with a bunch of school kids (I know, I know, what a photo op) Mrs. Obama’s going to start an organic garden at the White House. Read more about it here and here.
    Humor is always of the good - Obama, gardening at the White House
    And somebody’s got a sense of humor about it (photo mock-up courtesy of Eat The View).