Most of us think of sugar as nothing more than a sweetener. You might be surprised to know that there’s quite a number of traditional uses for sugar as well. Often regarded as mere housewives tales, the tips below are actually tried and true tested solutions.

Grass Stains- This one still surprises me that it actually works. Make a paste out of sugar and water. Paste onto the grass stains and gently rub in. Let the solution sit for an hour or so depending on how bad the stain really is. Once it has sat for a while, wash in the washer like normal. Your stain should be gone in no time.

Keeping cut flowers fresh – adding a tablespoon of sugar to the water in the vase makes flowers look better and accelerates blooming of buds.

Immunisation Shots- Before your child heads to the doctor for the immunization shots give them some sugar water. This helps the shots go into the system faster making your children less sick and easier to deal with.

Ants- Just about everyone get ants in their home at some point or another. We always get them right in the beginning of summer. spray on the outside which usually keeps most of them outside. For the ones that just wont go away simply use equal amounts of sugar, water and borax. Soak a few cotton balls in this solution. Place the cotton balls around the house where you have problem areas. The sweet smell of sugar will lure them to the cotton ball and the borax will discard them.

Burn Relieve a tongue burn with a sugar cube.
By sucking on a small sugar cube you can ease a tongue burn.

Hard Dry Skin- If your skin is hard and you don't have anything to make it softer at the moment then why not try using sugar instead? Mix a little sugar with some water a use a puff ball to scrub your skin. Then rinse like normal. You will be surprised how soft your skin is when you're done.

Natural preservative – It that binds water to prevent the growth of micro-organisms, thereby reducing food spoilage.

 
ALTERNATIVE USES FOR SALT.

For every meal there is one thing people generally reach for before they even take a bite – the salt shaker.  Salt is one of the oldest spices used and is a key component to humans, animals, and plants.

Salt is such a great seasoning, but did you know that it can be used for so much more? Salt is very useful for so many different things and the best part is you can purchase it very cheap.

Cutting down on salt in your diet will do your body a lot of good, but it's surprisingly useful in other walks of life.

Preservation – helps protect against micro organisms, bacteria through dehydration and preventing growth of bacteria, which slows or prevents spoilage.

Salt can play a role in the care of camping gear.

Canvas: If a canvas bag or any bags develop a musty smell, deodorize them by sprinkling salt on the inside, zipping up the bag, and letting it sit overnight. Remove the salt in the morning, and then allow the bag to air out.

Rust: If rust develops on bike handlebars or tire rims, clean it away by making a paste of 6 tablespoons of salt and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Apply the paste to the rusted areas with a dry cloth, then rub, rinse, and dry the area thoroughly.

Oil spills: If you accidentally spill oil onto your garage floor, sprinkle salt on it and wait 15 minutes. The salt will help soak up some of the liquid and make cleaning easier.

·  To ease a sore throat by gargling (make it warm).
 

· A mixture of ½ teaspoon of salt in a pint of water to reduce tired and puffy eyes.
 

· To soak sore feet (keep the water warm).
 

· Additionally for bee stings – immediately moisten area and rub salt on the sting.  

Combine vinegar and salt:

And flour (using equal parts) into a paste. Apply paste to any brass and let sit for an hour, before cleaning with a soft cloth.

As a scrub to remove stains on copper pans.

To scrub grease spots out of carpets – be careful not to scrub too hard and damage the nap of the carpet (use one part salt to four parts vinegar).

To remove onion odour from your hands.

Combine salt and water:

To cleanse perspiration stains, combine 4 tablespoons of salt to 1 quart of hot water, then use a sponge to dab at the stains.

To remove blood stains in natural fibres like cotton. Soak stained clothing in cold saltwater, then wash in warm soapy water, then boil.

To wash and brighten curtains and washable rugs.

To soak toothbrushes before using to extend life.

To soak a new broom before using to extend the life (make sure to use hot water).

And send it down the sink drain to eliminate grease and odours.

To remove bitterness and stains from coffee pots (use four tablespoons of salt to a pot of water).

To scrub wicker and set in sun to clean and prevent yellowing.

Combine lemon juice and salt to:

Make a paste to scrub the bathroom to get rid of mildew.

To remove mildew or rust stains, soak item and place in the sun for bleaching.

 
Combine baking soda and salt:

To make a refrigerator deodorizer.

Combine with water to clean and freshen the refrigerator without scratching.

To create a tooth cleanser.  Use moistened toothbrush to dip into the mixture and brush your teeth and rinse your mouth.

With boiling water to clean and brighten yellowed cottons or linens.

Dishwasher- Place a small amount of slat in your dishwasher each time you do dishes. This will reduce the amount of suds your soap creates which means you will get a cleaner load of dishes. Not only does it help your dishes, but it also helps your water lines and the drain lines stay clean and free of gunk. The salt will slowly eat away all the grime left behind leaving you with fewer problems later on.

Laundry- Adding a few tablespoons of salt to your washing machine when doing laundry will result in brighter and cleaner clothes. The salt water helps protect the colour in your clothes so there will be less fading. The salt water also cleans better then normal tap water does. It will also help reduce the amount of suds giving you cleaner clothes and just like the dishwasher it will also help clean out the drain line by slowly eating away at the grime left behind.

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Ammarah
Radio Islam
+27118547022
ammarah@radioislam.co.za
www.radioislam.co.za