How would an ordinary human get rid of a ghost?

I heard somewhere that a ring of salt could be protection against ghosts. Then there is the old exorcism standby.

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Script Frenzy '08
Working Title: Nate and Dick
Script Type: Stage Play
Genre: Dark Musical Comedy
Page Count: 35

Salt is actually one of the number one purifiers in most cultures. The other night my sister and I were discussing what we would do if we got trapped in a supernatural movie and she said "I'd just throw salt at it. Whatever it is, it's getting hit with salt."
Garlic is also supposed to repel malignant spirits. My boyfriend says certain songs are supposed to work.
I've also heard that a good remedy is to preform a general cleansing of the house (this means cleaning it physically as well as spiritually). Also, of course, you can preform an exorcism.
Things not to do would be to name it and, of course, fear it. These to things give the spirit power over you and secure their place in the home. This can make it difficult, if not impossible, to move.
Yes, I'm a dork. But I love and write supernatural fiction, so there you go. My real suggestion is just to do a google search. There's a lot more info out there.

Lines of salt across a doorway or around where you are standing are supposed to stop a malicious spirit getting past, but I don't think it would get them out of the house. I'd be tempted to sprinkle holy water or hold up religious items (of any religion, for presumably the ghost would be anything but godly).

Prayers and incantations work- shout out to any God you believe in.
'Ritual cleansing' perhaps cleaning the house physically whilst doing any/all of the above to get rid of anything spiritually icky.

Or the old fashioned method of trying to communicate with them and seeing what 'unfinished business' needs taking care of.

If they think it is connected to an item in the house (anyone brought home any mysterious foreign artifacts recently?) they should get rid of it. I'd probably try to smash it or burn it and bury the remains (with more religious items if I could find some).

This site has some ideas:
http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t44556....

Burning sage or sweetgrass also cleanses the area. Smoke from insence also works too.

Sometimes, the mundane answer can be the most fun (see "The Changeling" with George C. Scott for an example). Your MC could just figure out why the heck the ghost is hanging around in the first place, try to solve that little clue (magnet letters and Ouija boards are a bit overdone, but a bit of a reverse on the "spilled salt" thing is have a "good" ghost write in the salt some weird off-the-wall clue in there would be kinda neat...I've seen sugar, but not salt for this...just a thought) and let things develop naturally (or supernaturally as the case may be) from there.

When I moved a friend of mine told me to burn a handful of sage to get rid of anything that might be... leftover from the previous owners, from ghosts and poltergeists to bad vibes and painful emotions. My mom, of course, didn't let me but I've heard it really works. Also sometimes talking to it helps. NEVER EVER EVER call it out of hiding, but if it's benevolant enough you can get it to pass over with a few reassuring words. It worked for my cousin. Prayer supposedly works but I've heard you have to be a "believer" of whatever faith you're reading from kind of like vampires.

If there was a poltergeist in my house, I would tell it to GTFO. If that didn't work, I'd get the vicar to come over and get rid of it. He only lives down the road from me, after all :-)

There was a poltergeist in my grandma's house when my aunt was a teenager. They think it was caused by my aunt being really unhappy (didn't get on with her stepdad... long story) and eventually my gran made him move out and the poltergeist just went away.

Hope that helps, but I doubt it.

Offend the ghost's sensibilities. No perversion is too great. Take the fright to the frightener.

Being a guy, it would not take muc. I just ahve to do everything my mother told me not to do.