Woman shares 20 super useful ways to use wood ash around the house
Heating with wood results in plenty of wood ash, which might be more beneficial than you think. Interestingly, wood ash is filled with all minerals from inside a tree’s wood. Our ancestors used it in numerous creative ways â gardening, pottery, food preservationâŚ
Thinking that wood ash has no use around a modern home is very wrong. Keep reading, and find out why.
Bees will thank you!
Honey is the type of superfood you simply have to love. Weâll surprise you with one fact: Honey bees are the only insects that produce food that humans can eat. Letâs give them a hand then. Take your wood ash, and spread it in circles around beehives. Ants wonât be able to go after the honey, and youâll have the tasty treat all for yourself.
It makes the hair dye stains come off fast!
Source:
First, a little reminder: the hack is not magical, it will not remove your hair color completely. It helps with taking out dye stains from the scalp and skin. Itâs very well known that those stains can be nasty sometimes. There you have a solution: rub the ash into the stain, rinse it, and repeat the process if necessary.
Bye, bye ants!
Remember â ants hate wood ash. While this might be unnecessary information, youâll find it useful if youâre dealing with an anthill in your yard. Put just a little bit of ash on it. That wonât kill ants, but will surely make them move out.
Ash preserves tomatoes!
Did you know that farmers in Africa use this trick for keeping tomatoes healthy? Thatâs right after you harvest these red delicacies, cover them with ash, and they wonât go bad. They can stay like that for up to five months. Incredible, right?!
Decreasing the acidity of the soil has never been easier!
Moving back to your garden, now that ants have gone, the quality of the soil might be the thing of interest. If itâs too acidic, just add some ash. Because of having a basic PH, wooden ash balances things out very quickly.
Creative food seasoning!
As unbelievable as it might sound, maple ash adds a smoky flavor to any meal. Donât add too much, of course. Use a salt shaker, that way youâll sprinkle just a tad. Buon Appetit!
A perfect, non-toxic fertilizer!
Like we said earlier, burning a tree leaves you with a lot of ash full of minerals. It also keeps away different sorts of pests, without any side-effects. What should you do? Just put circles of ash around your plants. Very easy, yet incredibly effective!
An interesting food ingredient!
Do you know what lye water is? You mix wood ash with water, then strain the mixture, and there you go. Pretzels were originally made in lye water. And thatâs not the only example, hundreds of different recipes list wood ash as one of the ingredients.
Wood ash increases the quality of compost!
Compost provides many nutrients for plant growth, and itâs commonly used as a fertilizer. Those who make compost piles have to be careful that it doesnât attract different animals. If bears, for example, find something in compost, they’ll start visiting your house regularly. Put some wood ash on top of the pile, and none of those unwanted guests will ever come again.
Wood ash cement!
Itâs not as strong as regular cement, but people used it in ancient times, and it worked fine for them. Itâs primitive construction technology. Mix it with terra cotta, and some water. For detailed instructions, check out this video.
You can dust your farm animals with it!
Source:
Your chicken or turkey will be grateful if you sprinkle them with some ash. It wonât harm them at all, and the benefits are numerous. Fleas, parasites, and other annoying insects will stay in the past forever.
Cosmetics can use ash, too!
A long time ago, humans didnât have fancy cosmetics as we have today. They made the first soap by mixing wood ash, water, and some animal fat. Since most trends of today promote going back to natural, consider making a home-made soap and see how it works for you.
Ice-melting!
Winter is truly beautiful when youâre inside a warm home, looking out the window, and everything is sparkling white. Itâs a completely different story when you want to go to work in the morning, and your driveway is too slippery. Take some ash in the evening, spread it all over icy surfaces, and it will melt until the morning.
Pottery glaze!
Hundreds of years ago, people used wood ash as a glaze for pottery. The first examples appeared in China around 3000 years ago. The simplest way to achieve amazing results is to paint a pot with glue, then roll it in sieved ash, and shake off the excess.
A perfectly clean glass every time!
The ashes in your fireplace might be perfect for cleaning glass. Ash has got just enough texture to give the glass enough scrub without damaging it. Give it a try, and youâll be stunned.
Silver will be âshining bright like a diamondâ!
Are you tired of the tarnish of your silver? Maybe you have pieces that have been in the family for generations, and you would like them to regain the shine? Try using ash. Hereâs how you do it: damp any cloth in water, add some wood ash, and scrub the silver with it. Soon youâll be able to mirror yourself in the precious silver.
It takes away the skunk odor!
Getting sprayed by a skunk is probably the worst thing that can happen when you spend the time outdoors. Donât worry, though, there is a way to neutralize the terrible smell. Coat those smelly parts in ash, let it sit for a few hours, then take a bath. It will help a lot.
Oil spills can be cleaned with ash!
Yes, it happened to all of us. Sometimes cars can leak oil on a garage floor. You can clean it so that it doesnât leave a permanent stain. Put some ash over the oil, and let it soak the oil. Then clean everything.
It scares the annoying insects away!
Cockroaches and moths are probably the nastiest insects that can appear around your home. Scare them away by using wood ash. Spread it around corners, and cracks in your home. In fact, leave some wood ash wherever you think itâs necessary. It can do no harm.
Removing stains suddenly became a lot easier!
Weâve all heard about the cleaning trick that involves baking soda. Well, ash works exactly the same. Just be a little careful with it, and your bathroom could shine like a new one.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.