One of the very first things I did when I first started prepping was to bolster my pantry with basic staples that could be used for a variety of purposes. When it was suggested that I store salt, and lots of it, I was a disbeliever. After all, conventional mainstream wisdom had taught me that salt was the bad guy.
But is it really?
I made it my mission to determine whether salt is a good thing, a bad thing, or simply something best treated as an item to “use in moderation”.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated and revised to include MORE ways to use salt for survival!
Salt As the Bad Guy
According to the Mayo Clinic, lowering your salt intake can help lower your blood pressure and your risk of cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that people who consumed more than 7 grams of salt per day had a much higher risk of death than those who consumed 3-6 grams per day.
The authors estimate that reducing salt intake could save between $10 billion and $24 billion in health care costs annually. In light of this, many experts are calling on food manufacturers and restaurants to lower the amount of salt in the foods they sell.
But Is It Really That Bad?
On the other hand, salt/sodium is vital to keep our bodies functioning normally. It is a main component of the extracellular fluids in the body. It is important for regulating hydration and also aids other body functions, such as the transmission of nerve impulses and the contraction and relaxation of muscles.
So although I personally have issues when there is too much salt in my diet, for many the moderate consumption of salt is perfectly fine.
Why Do You Need Salt in Your Prepper Pantry?
For most of us, the amount of salt needed to stay healthy can be already be found in processed, packaged, or canned foods. Let us hope that we have stored enough of these foods – especially the canned items – that we will never need to worry about adding more.
Having gone most of my adult life avoiding salt, coming to terms with adding salt to my survival pantry was true mind-shift. Not only is there a physiological need for our bodies to ingest salt in one form or another, but there are a multitude of other uses aside from food enhancement and food preservation.
Which leads me to the next point: what are the uses of salt in an emergency situation?
In his article, 27 More Reasons to Stock Salt, ‘Above Average’ Joe from SurvivalLife.com wrote:
Salt has been an integral part of civilization dating back as far as 6050 B.C. It has been such an important element of life that it has been the subject of many stories, fables and folktales and is frequently referenced in fairy tales.
It served as currency at various times and places, and it has even been the cause of bitter warfare. Offering bread and salt to visitors, in many cultures, is traditional etiquette.
Aside from all of the uses that salt performs in terms of baking, food flavor and food preservation, salt has a number of other uses that you may never have thought of.
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The following list is a combination of suggestions from ‘Above Average’ Joe, my own uses, and the tips from you, the readers, who are always a wealth of information.
- Food preservation Salt can be used as an off-grid way to preserve meat, fish and game that is caught in the wild. While some may think that you have to use curing salt, table salt can also prevent spoilage. Canned foods that have higher sodium levels will stay shelf stable for longer. Some salted and smoked foods will keep very well without refrigeration. With proper curing, country ham can be made or fish can be salted and smoked for year round meat. Check out our post on “How To Cure Your Own Pork”.
- Supplemental use Table salt can provide the nominal amount of dietary sodium once the canned and processed foods are gone. While the modern diet makes it easy to get way too much salt, during an extended emergency, salt could become very scarce. There is a reason back in the old days people would boil off hundreds of gallons of water just to recover a small amount of salt.
- Taste enhancement (perhaps this should be number one!)Just a little salt can make a big difference in otherwise bland foods. Rice and beans are a lot better during a long emergency if you have some seasoning.
- Dental hygiene A salt paste can be used to brush your teeth
- Remove Rust Make a paste using 6 tablespoons of salt and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Apply paste to rusted area with a dry cloth and rub. Rinse thoroughly and dry.
- Perk up coffee flavor Add a pinch of salt to the coffee in the basket of your coffeemaker. This will improve the coffee’s flavor by helping to remove some of the acid taste. This is a big help too if you are stuck drinking low quality coffee or old coffee during an emergency.
- Clean cast iron skillets and pots If our cast iron cookware is gunked up with bits of food, make a paste from salt and a bit of water then scrub it clean. To speed the process, boil a small amount of water in the pot, add some salt and use a llong-handledbrush to whisk away the burned on food.
- Eliminate fish odors Removing fish odor from your hands is simple with Salt. Just rub your hands with a lemon wedge dipped in salt, then rinse with water.
- Cut cutting board odors To help cut odors off of your wooden cutting board, simply pour a generous amount of Salt directly on the board. Rub lightly with a damp cloth. Wash in warm, sudsy water.
- Soothe sore throats To alleviate the discomfort of a mild sore throat, gargle several times daily with a mixture of 1/4 teaspoon Salt and 1/2 cup warm water*. It’s like taking a liquid lozenge. Salt water solutions also help reduce bacteria and irrigate any actual sores or abrasions inside your mouth and throat.
- Treat your tootsie’s To prepare a salt water bath, pour 6 quarts (1-1/2 gallons) warm water in a large basin. Mix in 1/4 cup Salt and 1/4 cup baking soda. Soak feet for up to 15 minutes. You can add a few drops of essential oil for a more luxurious experience.
- Boiling water Salt added to water makes the water boil at a higher temperature, thus reducing cooking time (it does not make the water boil faster).
- Testing egg freshness Place the egg in a cup of water to which two teaspoonfuls of salt has been added. A fresh egg sinks; if it floats, toss it.
- Cleaning greasy pans The greasiest iron pan will wash easily if you use a little salt in it and wipe with paper towels.
- Cleaning stained cups Rubbing with salt will remove stubborn tea or coffee stains from cups.
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- Save the bottom of your oven If a pie or casserole bubbles over in the oven, put a handful of salt on top of the spill. It won’t smoke and smell, and it will bake into a crust that makes the baked-on mess much easier to clean when it has cooled. This trick can save a lot of time over the years.
- Fend off fire from a rogue BBQ Toss a bit of salt on flames from food dripping in barbecue grills to reduce the flames and calm the smoke without cooling the coals (like water does).
- Removing pinfeathers To remove pinfeathers easily from a chicken, rub the chicken skin with salt first. If you ever have to butcher your own chickens, this trick is going to save you a lot of time and ensure that you don’t have the unpleasant discovery of feathers while eating.
- Preventing mold To prevent mold on cheese, wrap it in a cloth dampened with saltwater before refrigerating.
- Keeping milk fresh Adding a pinch of salt to milk will keep it fresh longer.
- Scaling fish Soak fish in salt water before descaling; the scales will come off easier.
- Non-stick pancakes Rub salt on your pancake griddle and your flapjacks won’t stick.
- Keeping cut flowers fresh A dash of salt added to the water in a flower vase will keep cut flowers fresh longer.
- Keeping patios weed-free If weeds or unwanted grass come up between patio bricks or blocks, carefully spread salt between the bricks and blocks, then sprinkle with water or wait for rain to wet it down. Use some caution if you have plants you like nearby. Salt run off can affect things you want to grow and thrive.
- Killing poison ivy Mix three pounds of salt with a gallon of soapy water and apply to leaves and stems with a sprayer.
- Deodorizing shoes Sprinkling a little salt in canvas shoes occasionally will take up the moisture and help remove odors.
- Relieving bee stings If stung, immediately wet the spot and cover with salt to relieve the pain.
- Deterrents Sprinkle salt at doorways, window sills and anywhere else ants sneak into your house. Ants don’t like to walk on salt.
- Clean teeth Use one part fine salt to two parts baking soda–dip your toothbrush in the mix and brush as usual.
- Melt snow and ice Sprinkle salt on snow or ice to melt away.
- Removing soot Occasionally throw a handful of salt on the flames in your fireplace; it will help loosen soot from the chimney and salt makes a bright yellow flame.
- For soap making Salt is a component in some soap recipes. It stimulates a chemical reaction that hardens the soap.
- Nasal Rinse Mix well 1/4 cup salt & 1/4 cup of baking soda and store in an air tight container, use 1/4 tsp. for each rinse. This can help stop a cold virus in its tracks, can help with seasonal allergies, and can relieve sinus pressure. Many people use a neti pot for this purpose. I have cured many sinus issues just using this method as well as gargling with salt water.
- Dispose of disposal odor To help remove odors from garbage disposals, pour 1/2 cup of Salt directly into the garbage disposal. By running the disposal following manufacturer’s directions, you’ll send those odors down the drain.
- Fill in holes in drywall or plaster To fill in damage to walls just mix equal parts corn starch and salt and use like a putty. This is great for those minor fixes where you don’t want to fool with the mess and expense of plaster or drywall compound.
- Clean sponges. Soaking sponges in salt water will kill bacteria and other germs that stink and can make you sick. For best results put sponges in boiling salt water and allow to soak for 20 minutes and rinse. Air dry your sponges and use as needed. This can help you get more wear out of sponges rather than getting grossed out with them and throwing them away.
- Prevent greens from wilting. Salad greens will last longer if you sprinkle some salt on them. This can be helpful if you are making a big salad for a potluck or just trying to get ahead on your food prep during the course of your day.
- Make nuts easier to crack. Soaking nuts in a salt brine solution will make it much easier to get nuts out whole rather than in tiny pieces. If you have a lot of nuts to crack, this can save you a lot of time and result in a higher quality product overall.
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- Put a stop to suds. A lot of soaps and laundry detergents do not suds like they used to because phosphates and other sudsing agents have been eliminated or reduced. However if you do get yourself in a sudsy situation you can sprinkle a little salt on them to reduce the mess. Good to remember next time you go overboard with the bubble bath!
- Wash dirty greens in salt water. A salty solution will make the dirt come off of garden greens and other produce much easier. Those that like to forage for plants will find this trick handy for reducing prep time. I am going to use this one next time I go dig wild leeks!
- Cleaning wounds. While salt no doubt hurts, it does create an inhospitable environment for bacteria and germs. Salt water solutions are excellent for irritating and rinsing out some wounds. In a major survival situation, if I found myself needing to disinfect, I would pour salt on a wound because some pain is far better than an infection if you don’t have antibiotics.
- Remove grease stains. Mix one part salt and 4 parts alcohol to create a grease-cutting solution. Of course, always test a small portion of fabric before use if you have an item that is somewhat delicate.
- Remove stains on glass. Mixing salt and vinegar together creates a natural cleaner for glass that can get rid of those stubborn stains. If you have water with a lot of mineral deposits in it then this
- Remove wine or juice stains. Sprinkle salt on carpets or clothing where red wine or dark juice has been spilled. Let sit for a few minutes and then rinse away the stain with cold water. I do love that salt is less harsh and doesn’t have the incredible odor of commercial stain removers. Those that are sensitive to cleaning agents will be glad they discovered this use for salt. Another bonus is that salt in small amounts is not at all toxic to kids or pets.
- Wooden clothespins last longer when boiled in a saltwater solution. So you just bought some really nice clothespins and want them to last? Just take the time to boil them in some salt water and that will help preserve them. No need to go back to plastic pins thinking they will last longer.
- Add salt to laundry to help keep colors bright. If you find that your clothes are fading fast then try adding some salt. Just a tablespoon per load can make a big difference and possibly save you money over expensive laundry treatments.
- Salting and drying hides. You can do a reasonable job tanning hides with just salt but even if you use other items for your tanning process, salt is going to be involved at some point. A fresh hide is salted first to prevent spoilage and start the drying process. Several saltings are quite common when tanning.
- Cure that stinky sink drain. A warm salty solution can help eliminate any odors from your drain and won’t cause damage to your pipes or septic tank. A little salt water is a lot more gentle on your septic than some commercial cleaners. While theoretically, you could use enough salt to kill the good microorganisms in your septic system, you would really have to dump a lot down it for that to happen. The occasional drain pipe refreshment is not going to do that.
- Prevent clothes from freezing on a clothesline. If you add a few tablespoons of salt to the rinse water when doing laundry it can help prevent that annoying freezing to the line in the winter time. This means you can enjoy line dried clothes more of the year. For those that are homesteading off grid and rely on clotheslines, this trick can save a lot of time and frustration. Check out the BDS post on “Best Off Grid Laundry Options” for more tips.
- Clean a broom. Soak brooms in salt water for 20 minutes and then remove and air dry. This will also help your broom last longer.
