If you can deal with a bad taste, consider adding your teaspoon of salt to a mixture of equal parts warm water and apple cider vinegar. Though there's no clear explanation for it, apple cider vinegar seems more effective than other vinegars at soothing sore throats.
[header] How to cure a sore throat (salt water method ) [title] Decide what to gargle with. [step] Most people choose to simply stir one teaspoon of table or sea salt into eight ounces of warm water. The salt draws water out of the swollen tissues, reducing swelling.