Soil sodication is one of the problems that threaten soil security. In order to investigate the effect of sodication on the basic properties of loess, Yangling loess was taken as the research object. Soil samples with artificial sodium content of 1 g/kg, 3 g/kg, 5 g/kg, 10 g/kg and 20 g/kg were prepared then pressed into samples with different dry densities and moisture contents. The basic soil test, soil conductivity test, exchangeable sodium ion percentage (ESP) test and water repellency test were carried out on these samples respectively to investigate the effects of changes in sodium salt content on loess engineering properties. It was found that the electrical conductivity and ESP of soil samples increased with the sodium salt content, which proved that the degree of soil sodication aggravated. The plastic limit of the soil samples fluctuated around 20%, and the liquid limit increased first and then decreased. The soil water repellency gradually weakened with the accumulation of salt, and the water infiltration became relatively easy, but at the same time the permeability coefficient of the soil decreased, which made it difficult for the water seepage in the soil. In addition, the compression coefficient of the samples gradually increased, so compression deformation was likely to happen.