Green cleaning is such a wonderful concept- a lifesaver for both your health and your purse.  Baking soda and vinegar are some amazing natural cleaners, but let us not just let that salt shaker simply sit by the stove.  Regular table salt is about the cheapest item to be found on your grocery bill, yet it packs a powerful punch!  Here are some handy dandy tips for this household ingredient:

• Can’t get to those breakfast plates right now?  Sprinkle them with salt to prevent egg from sticking, making dishes a breeze when you get back to them!
• Cure smelly plastic containers with a spinkle of salt, leave overnight, and rinse… repeat once if needed.
• Baked-on food and grease in pans are history when you add very hot water and salt.  Let stand and wash clean.
• Copper-bottom pans look new again with a sprinkle of salt, followed by a scouring with a vinegar-soaked cloth.

• Easily clean stovetop spills and leave a cozy aroma by sprinkling salt and cinnamon directly on the spill and wipe away (the salt is gentle enough not to mar the surface.)
• For carpet nightmares such as blood, red wine, and grease:  blot up as much as possible, then sprinkle the area with salt to absorb the remaining liquid.  Follow with a cleaning according to your manufacturer’s instructions.  This method also works on laundry!

• 1/2 cup of salt added to the wash cycle prevents new colored fabrics from bleeding onto other garments.
• Clean rough or sticky smudges off the iron by setting it on low and running it over a piece of paper with salt on it.

• New candles burn with less dripping if you first soak them for a few hours in a mixture of 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup salt.  Let dry before burning.
• Toss a handful of salt into the fireplace fire to loosen soot inside the chimney.

Catch more frugal and green cleaning tips at In Good Sense- my first guest post!  And do tell- how are you cleaning greener these days?