A Hundred and One Uses for Salt: Salt Hack #74

In 1926, the Diamond Crystal Salt Company gave customers a “101 Uses for Diamond Crystal Salt” outlining unique functions of salt that still prove useful over a century later.

Diamond Crystal salt is known for its coarse flakes, which contain less sodium by volume and no additives like iodine. However, the salt “life hacks” in this book work with any kind of salt, and they’re not just useful in the kitchen. Follow our #salthacks series on the Vintage Wisdom blog for more salt applications!

Salt Hack of the day:

Why it works: 

Water-based ink stains that are fresh and wet can indeed be removed by a generous heap of table salt (source).  It's abrasive and absorbent, and mixing it with lemon juice or milk can break down inks, wine, or even blood (source). Less toxic to animals and the environment and much more available than specialized cleaning agents, salt can be a quick fix for ink stains!

Why it matters: 

The amount of time and effort women spend on domestic tasks is a feminist topic still hotly debated in scholarly circles, and this advertising booklet certainly appealed to homemakers looking to spend less time on household work. Before washing machines, women put more effort into washing clothes, rags, linens, and almost any other fabric item -- especially dirty farm or play clothes!

Some scholars say that "labor saving" appliances like microwaves, dishwashers, and clothes washers saved homemakers lots of time (source, source). These appliances certainly saved women the physical effort of cooking or cleaning, and the decades following widespread household appliances saw women with paid jobs and more men doing housework (source, source). However, it's important to note that some scholars contend that domestic technologies like washing machines certainly improve standards of living but often do not reduce women's unpaid household labor (source, source). Sometimes the cost of task efficiency is consuming more products (like salt), doing more prep work, or directing one's attention to other tasks -- a good thing to keep in mind for any "hack". 

Stay tuned for more salt hacks!