5 Things To Do with Epsom Salts
Updated: Mar. 20, 2019
You probably use epsom salts to relax in the bath, but magnesium sulfate, the active compound in the salts, is used in everything from agriculture to food preparation. Find out 5 creative ways you can put it to work around the house!
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In addition to deterring slugs, epsom salts have other great gardening uses, like enriching grass and fertilizing tomatoes.
1. Soften Towels
Soak non-absorbent bath towels overnight in a bucket of warm water with half a cup of Epsom salts. The next day, wring out and tumble dry for soft-as-new towels.
2. Clean Bathroom Tiles
Are the tiles in your bathroom getting that grungy look? Time to bring in the Epsom salts. Mix it in equal parts with dishwashing liquid, then dab it onto the offending area and start scrubbing. The Epsom salts work with the detergent to scrub and dissolve the grime.
3. Regenerate a Car Battery
Is your car battery starting to sound as if it won’t turn on? Worried that you’ll be stuck the next time you start your car? Give your battery a little more life with this potion. Dissolve about 30 grams of Epsom salts in warm water and add it to each battery cell.
4. Get Rid of Blackheads
Here’s a sure-fire way to dislodge blackheads. Mix 1 teaspoon of Epsom salts and 3 drops of iodine in ½ cup of boiling water. When the mixture cools enough to stick your finger into it, apply it to blackheads with a cotton ball. Repeat this three or four times, reheating the solution if necessary. Gently remove the blackheads and then dab the area with an alcohol-based astringent.
5. Deter Slugs
Are you tired of visiting your garden at night only to find the place crawling with slimy slugs? Sprinkle Epsom salts where they glide and say goodbye to the slugs.
Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things
From that jar of petroleum jelly, to a roll of aluminum foil, that tube of toothpaste, to a carton of milk, you’ll discover more than 2,317 brand-new ways to use the stuff you have on hand in your pantry, medicine cabinet, garage, junk drawer, and more to save time, money and effort! But it now from the Reader’s Digest online store.
