What to Do With the Wood Ash from the Fireplace? 10 Practical Ideas

Have you just cleaned your fireplace, which is ready to heat your home and create a cocooning and welcoming atmosphere? So all you have to do is place a fire starter at the bottom of your fireplace. But this idyll can be cut short because of all the ash that the cozy fire leaves behind. Before throwing the next batch in the trash, it will be practical and interesting for you to know what to do with the wood ash that is wrongly deemed as useless. In this article, we shall list 10 uses of ash for your home and garden.

Use Wood Ash as A De-Icer

Wood ash contains potassium salts which are very effective in de-icing your driveway, sidewalk etc. It’s also not a bad idea to keep a container in your trunk in the winter, because it can be a powerful weapon in improving tire traction on snow and ice.

Add To Your Compost for the Garden

Adding wood ash to your compost is a great way to both recycle those residues and boost the potassium level of your garden soil. Such enriched compost is referred to as “black gold” by gardeners because it is a nutritious gold mine for your plants.

What to Do With Wood Ash in the Garden? Enrich Your Soil

If your garden soil is acidic, you can amend it with wood ash to raise its pH. Since ash is about 70% calcium carbonate, it will do the same thing as lime, but even faster, due to the microscopic size of the particles. It is still an excellent fertilizer for tomatoes that like calcium and it contains a good amount.

Use Ash to Absorb Odors and Moisture

Wood ash is alkaline, just like baking soda, which means it absorbs moisture and odors. Put a small amount in a bowl and place it in your refrigerator. It will absorb odors and restore freshness. You can also use it in humid spaces, such as a basement or a poorly ventilated bathroom. Just a small tray of ash in the corner can help remove humidity from the room.

Cleaning With Wood Ash: Is It Effective?

The answer is yes! Wood ash is an effective method to clean the glass of your fireplace naturally.

Remove Stains from the Driveway

You can remove greasy stains from your concrete driveway using the ash collected from your fireplace. Just sprinkle a small amount on the stain, then let sit for several hours. The ash will absorb the grease and then you can clean it all up with a broom.

Prepare a Slug and Snail Repellent

The use of baking soda in the garden is not new, but it turns out that wood ashes are a worthy competitor. The grayish powder is said to effectively control snails and slugs in your vegetable beds. Since the bodies of molluscs are composed largely of water, they fear approaching ash, which is desiccating in nature. So, sprinkle it around your plants to ward off these intruders.

Polish Metal to Bring it Back to Shine

Wood ash is a mild abrasive. Mix a quantity of it with water to make a paste and you can use this to polish silver and other metals.

Use Ash to Fight Algae

Although wood ash doesn’t actually kill algae, it can help control invasive aquatic plants. As already explained, ash is very high in potassium, so sprinkling a quantity of it into a pond will encourage other plants to grow and compete with the algae, keeping them under control.

Extinguish Fires

Like sand, fine wood ash can smother a small fire. Keep a bucket of ash near the hearth or chimney in case you need to put out stubborn embers.

Read also: How to Make Fire Starter from Coffee Grounds and Save on Your Heating Bill?