by S’ola Filani

So apart from not curing Ebola, here are ten useful and surprising things that Salt can actually do for you!

1. Enhance the flavour of your food – duh, you knew that already!

2. Use as an abrasive. Toss some salt onto a stubborn kitchen counter stain and scrub with a damp dishcloth.

3. Sprinkle salt in areas (in your home) where you have ants/insects and watch them flee.

4. If you’ve burned your food, scrape as much of the burn off as you can, cover with water, and add 1/2 cup of salt. Boil for 20 minutes and ta-da, the burn off disappears.

5. To remove the smell of garlic from your fingers, rub them with salt, then rinse and wash with soap.

6. Too many bubbles while you’re doing the dishes? Sprinkle them with a pinch of salt and watch them disappear.

7. Run out of toothpaste? Mix water and salt in a cup, dip your toothbrush in and brush away!

8. If wine is spilled on a tablecloth or rug, blot up as much as possible and immediately cover with a generous amount of salt, then leave until dried. Vacuum up salt and rinse with cold water. The stain will (cross your fingers) be gone.

9. For a sore throat, gargle with 1/2 cup warm water and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

10. Salt can be used as a skin softener. Throw 1/2 cup salt into your bath water and you’ll be smooth as a baby’s bum when you get out.

And then we give you two more extra functions:

Wash dirty green vegetables such as spinach in a sink of mildly salted water to make them easier to clean.

Remove blood stains by soaking item in cold salt water, then wash in warm and soapy water.

Seriously though, save a life, let them know what they should and shouldn’t do about Ebola.