Why You Should Be Putting Salt In The Corners Of Your House

Feeling some bad vibes in your home and you know that the job calls for more than burning a generic vanilla-scented candle given to you by a coworker at last year's holiday party? The answer to freshening up your home and drawing out any bad juju that's been hanging around might already be sitting in your pantry — salt. 

People love the smell of the salty air at the beach, and many others believe it can actually eliminate toxic energy from a space as well. Because let's face it: Sometimes a room is in need of a little spiritual spring cleaning, and adding salt to the corners of a room is a cheap and effective way of doing just that. Yes, we're about to throw some New Age knowledge at you, but hear us out.

Many cultures around the world have drawn upon the healing powers of salt to bless a space and draw out any negative forces. Japanese sumo wrestlers don't start their match until salt has been tossed into the ring to remove bad spirits, and Catholic priests have used salt during exorcisms (via Catholic Sacramentals). Hopefully, you're not in need of any demon cleaning salt, but even if your home is free of demonic spirits from the underworld, your home may still need some cleansing that requires more than a bottle of Windex. The Chicago Tribune notes that the belief that whatever happens in a room stays in a room is a concept held by cultures around the world. Vastu, an Indian practice that predates feng shui has subscribed to the practice of using salt to draw out negativity for over 6,000 years.

So what's the best way to use salt to cleanse your own home? Astrea of the blog Starlight Witch notes that there are numerous ways of using salt to cleanse a room, and while some people may opt for a salt lamp, a simple bowl with some salt works just as well. She recommends avoiding a porous bowl such as untreated wood because the salt my ruin it over several days. As for what kind of salt to use, she prefers to use any salt other than industrially processed salt, simply because it doesn't feel natural enough. Some people may prefer to sprinkle a few herbs such as juniper or rosemary in with the salt, but it's by no means a must.

Place the salt in the corners of your home, by a frequently used door, or by the window. You can even sprinkle some of it into your carpet and allow it to sit for an hour or so before vacuuming it up. The key is to allow the salt to sit for a few days so that it can act as a magnet and pull out any negative energy that may be lingering in the room. Just keep in mind that this salt isn't for consumption, so don't allow your pets to eat it or get it on their paws, and dispose of it after it's sucked up any toxicity that may have been in the space. You don't want to permanently leave the salt in the corners of your house, either. You'll want to eventually dispose of it and all of the negative energy it's absorbed. 

Alright, so maybe holistic healing just isn't your thing. Before you put the salt back in the cabinet, though, keep in mind that it's not just great for keeping out negative spirits and bad vibes, but unwanted guests of the eight-legged kind, too. Most people would rather not have spiders inside their home, and according to Western Exterminator Company, salt can be a great natural way of keeping spiders out of your house. They recommend mixing up a solution of salt and water and spraying areas where you suspect there could be a spider's nest. 

While there are numerous ways to ridding bad vibes from a home that range from burning sage to having a priest bless it with holy water, none are as commonplace as regular table salt. Ready to give it a try?