Whether you’re a large-scale apartment complex in Coon Rapids or a homeowner in Edina, you’re used to regularly putting bags of salt in your water softener. Not only is it helping get rid of hard water, but salt is also going into the food you eat, as well as going on your sidewalks to melt ice in the winter months. There are countless uses for salt, so we at Peterson Salt and Water Treatment wanted to show you ten of the most interesting facts about the salt we use every single day.
1. As recently as the beginning of the 1900’s, one-pound bars of salt (called amoleh) were used as currency in the area now known as Ethiopia.
2. There are small amounts of salt found in every single cell in the human body.
3. Although our bodies need salt to survive, we must have a very specific level to keep our body in top shape. If we drink too much water we can flush the salt out of our bodies and get sick or even die, though the opposite is true if we eat too much. In ancient China, consuming too much salt was once used as a method of suicide. This was mainly popular among nobility since salt was so expensive.
4. Salt for food is mainly collected from evaporated seawater. However, in certain areas of France, salt is gathered in the ancient method: using baskets to strain sea water. This salt is available in very limited amounts and is incredibly expensive compared to what we would buy at the grocery store.
5. Salt is made up of the elements Sodium and Chloride. Sodium is a metal that isn’t safe for consumption and chloride comes from potentially poisonous chlorine gas, though the mixture is necessary for our survival.
6. Only six percent of the salt used in the U.S. is used in food; another 17 percent is used for de-icing streets and highways in the winter months. Statistically, it is not known how much is used for water softeners!
7. Salt has been a traded commodity since the beginning of mankind. It is referenced in the Old Testament of the Bible and was used to preserve Egyptian mummies.
8. In ancient Japanese theater, salt was spread across the stage before every show to prevent evil sprits from casting spells on the actors.
9. Most sports drinks like Gatorade have high levels of Sodium. This is because salt is essential in the prevention of muscle cramps from high levels of activity or exercise. If you don’t have a cool drink handy, a salty snack can help you to run that extra mile!
10. Sea salt contains approximately 80 minerals that are essential for the human body. Unrefined sea salt is healthier because the refined salt found in grocery stores is often stripped of these extra minerals while also adding new, unnatural addititives to keep it more powdery and appealing.
What are some other interesting uses for salt that you can think of?
At Peterson Salt and Water Treatment we are always looking to provide our customers with a wide variety of services and information. If you have any questions about our water softeners or salt delivery services, you can call (952) 929-0422 or email us at sales@petersonsalt.com. Be sure to ask about our “Keep Full” service options!