Did you know wood ash has surprising uses, from boosting your garden’s health to cleaning headlights?
Wood ash is packed with minerals like carbon, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and sodium, making it a powerhouse for both outdoor and household tasks.
Wood ash is packed with minerals like carbon, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and sodium, making it a super handy for both outdoor and household tasks.
Just make sure it cools for at least 24 hours and is stored in an airtight metal container before using it.
13 Hacks for Using Wood Ash You Will Want to Try
1. Super-Charge Your Compost
Adding ash to your compost pile gives it extra nutrition. To really boost the effect, soak your wood ashes in water for a few days to make “compost tea.” Then, pour the mixture into the compost pile as needed.
You need only a couple of tablespoons of wood ash to start. You can also add other ingredients like grass clippings, coffee grounds, and fallen leaves.
After it aerates for 24-36 hours, strain the mixture into a bucket. If there are any solids in the mixture, return those to the compost pile.
The tea should smell sweet; if there are any foul smells, don’t apply it to your garden.
Dilute the tea with water in a 1 to 4 ratio. Apply the tea to the soil after brewing. Apply one gallon of tea for every 100 square feet of garden area.
If you’re not using the tea immediately, actively aerate it until you’re ready.
2. Use as an Eco-Friendly Ice Melt
Wood ash provides a natural alternative to the harsh and potentially toxic chemicals used in commercial de-icer products.
Sprinkle the ash on the slick spots and allow it to sit to work its magic. You’ll get some traction, too.
3. Fertilize Your Garden for Stronger Crops
If you need a slightly alkaline environment for crops like beans, garlic, onions, tomatoes, or asparagus, sprinkling a bit of wood ash on your soil can help raise its pH.
The potassium in the wood ash will also help with flowering and fruiting.
Just be sure to avoid adding wood ash to areas where you’re growing crops that prefer more acidic soil, like blueberries, potatoes, or eggplants.
Research shows you should not use more than 5 pounds of ash for every 100 square feet of soil per year. Using it more often can negatively impact soil quality.
4. Protect Your Plants from Frost Damage
If a freak frost warning comes into play before you’re finished gardening for the season, a light dusting of wood ash around your plants will help keep them safe.
Ash’s natural composition lowers water’s freezing point without harming the plant.
Do not apply the ash directly to the plant’s leaves or stems, which may damage them.
5. Remove Stinky Odors Throughout Your Home
Wood ash makes an excellent baking soda alternative for absorbing odors in your fridge. Of course, you don’t want to rub ash all over the place, so it’s best to place it in a small bowl in the corner, away from your food.
Add a few small pieces of charcoal to make it even more effective.
This also works for obnoxious pet odors. If the litter box is especially funky, mix a small amount of wood ash into the litter every time you clean it.
Did your pet get stressed and mark? Dealing with a smelly pet bed? Lightly sprinkle the ash in those areas and leave it alone for a few hours. Then, sweep or vacuum it up.
If your furry friend has been skunked or rolled around outside in something less-than-pleasant, rub a little bit of wood ash into their fur to absorb the stink. A bonus? The wood ash will kill fleas and ticks, too. Speaking of bugs…
6. Keep Pests Away
Tired of snails, slugs, and ants having a party on your property? Add a dusting of wood ash around your plants to keep them away. Reapply after rain storms.
Are you dealing with bug infestation inside? Add a small dish of wood ash to the cupboards and closets to deter rats, mice, and roaches.
7. Clean Various Surfaces without Harsh Chemicals
Wood ash is mildly abrasive, making it a good cleaning agent. Mix your wood ash with a small amount of water to create a paste, making sure there are no large gritty bits that might scratch. Then, use a cotton cloth to apply the paste to the area you want to clean.
You can use the paste to:
- Clean glass, including your car’s headlights and the glass of your fireplace door
- Buff metals (get the gunk off your stainless steel cookware or polish your silver)
- Remove sticky residue from adhesives
- Wash your dishes while camping
If you’d rather not work with a paste, dampen a sponge with water, dip it into the ash, and gently scrub the surface. Your glass will be squeaky clean and streak-free, and your headlights will become crystal clear again.
If you plan to try cleaning furniture or fabric, test the mixture in an inconspicuous spot. Once you see the results, decide if you want to clean a larger area.
8. Stay Squeaky Clean with Homemade Soap
Mix the wood ash with water to make lye. From there, mix it with a bit of animal fat, and you’ll have a nice bar of soap to keep yourself clean.
It’s important to note, though, that you’ll need ash from a hardwood fire since the softwood ash has too much resin to mix with fat.
Wear gloves and protect your eyes and face because lye will burn your skin. Safety first!
Boil the ashes in water (in a non-aluminum pot) for about 30 minutes, then let them settle to the bottom. Skim the liquid lye off the top.
Now, add your animal fat to a kettle (don’t fill it more than halfway full). Heat it to render the fat and remove the solid scraps. While the mixture is still hot, add the grease to the bubbling lye mixture.
Stir it until it looks like thick cornmeal, and pour the mixture into molds. Let it cool, and you’ll have a soft soap.
If you want a hard soap, add some salt to the mixture before pouring it into the mold.
Once completely cooled, remove it from the mold, run it under some water to create suds, and start cleaning.
9. Remove Stubborn Driveway Stains and Soak Up Spills
Got a dark spot on your driveway from an oil leak? Spill oil while doing your own oil change? That’s a job for wood ash.
Liberally apply it all over the stain and use a brush to scrub it in. Let it sit for a while (fresh spills won’t need as long), and then sweep it up.
The ash will pull up the oil from the pavement and soak it up for easy cleaning. If the stain is old, you may need to repeat this process a few times before it goes away.
10. Kiss Algae Goodbye
Constantly finding your pond or fountain covered in algae slime? With just one tablespoon of wood ash for every 1,000 gallons of water you’re trying to treat, you can be done with it.
The potassium in the ash naturally slows algae growth.
11. Prevent Mold in Your Basement
If you live in a humid area or are worried about moisture buildup in certain areas of your home, wood ash can help save the day.
Placing a cup of wood ash in your basement, bathroom, or any other moisture-prone area can remove excess moisture from the air to keep everything safe and dry.
Check it periodically, and replace it when you start to see the ash clump together.
It’s best used in small areas because, although the ash is highly absorbent, it likely won’t be enough to dehumidify a large space.
12. Give Your Chickens a Dust Bath
Fill a container with a mixture of wood ash, wood shavings, sand, and soil. Place it where it can be kept safe from the elements, and the chickens will most likely use it.
A dust bath helps chickens clean themselves, removing excess dirt, oil, and skin cells. It can also help eliminate parasites like lice and mites that may be taking residence on the birds.
Use a litter scoop or a rake to periodically remove debris, feathers, droppings, or wet materials from the dust bath.
Add more of these ingredients regularly, completely replacing the contents at least twice a year. If you have a big flock, you may need to replace it more often.
Dispose of the old dust bath in your garden or compost pile.
13. Put Out a Fire in an Emergency
Wood ash shouldn’t replace your fire extinguisher, but it will work in a pinch for a small fire. Pour the ash over the fire as you would sand or soil.
Adding wood ash over hot coals will create an airtight barrier, preventing oxygen from fueling the flame and eventually putting the fire out.
Stick around to be sure it’s fully extinguished to avoid re-ignition.
