There are some things in the house that we almost take for granted. The fireplace ash, for example, we are sure that almost everyone among the lucky owners of such equipment in the house, think it’s perfectly normal to shed after the fire. And yet, despite these firm beliefs, this residual ash is anything but unusable. Did you know that it can be useful in a thousand different ways around the house?
Sometimes even the items we consider the most superfluous turn out to be valuable and can be recycled in ingenious, practical, and above all economical ways. In this regard, the ashes from our fireplaces are by no means waste. On the contrary, we can use it to do many household chores for which often we would have to buy specific products and maybe even more polluting than the ash itself. Are you ready to discover some alternative uses ?
#1
image credit: Maxpixel
Anyone who owns a fireplace knows that having one in your living room is not bad at all. The fire that burns when it’s cold outside and the cozy and intimate atmosphere it provides are truly unique comforts. To keep it efficient and safe, care must be taken to clean it often, and it can produce a lot of ash. But beware: this is where we want to focus. Do you think this is waste that should be thrown away? False, because thanks to its properties, it can prove to be an essential and “economical” auxiliary in the house.
If you have a fireplace and also a green space outside your house, you probably throw the ash on the land, but if you live in a house without a garden, your ash will end up in the garbage. But instead of throwing it in the trash, why not take advantage of its polishing, fertilizing, repellent, smoothing, anti-odor and other properties?
1. To degrease pots and pans with stubborn dirt, or to polish silverware or even glassware, simply pass the ash through a sieve, mix it with water and gently rub the surfaces. to be cleaned with the “paste” obtained. You will thus have created a real cleaning and polishing cream.
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image credit: Santeri Viinamäki / Wikimedia
2. Remove stains and bleach the laundry . It may sound strange, but it is a real grandma’s remedy. The ash can be used to make a real laundry detergent. After creating the lye, just add a little olive oil to get a more concentrated mixture, which is brought to a boil and then poured into soap molds. The mixture is then boiled and poured into soap molds. We are then ready to test the positive effects of ash on light colored clothes to bleach them and remove stains.
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image credit: Pixabay
3. Ash as a pest repellant. It is a natural and, above all, very inexpensive alternative to traditional insecticides. Ashes from burning wood can be great for keeping insects away from homes and plants. Snails, for example, will not approach plants as easily if they come in contact with ash on dry soil.
4. Eliminate bad odors and fight against freezing. Ash from your fireplace can also be used for this purpose: by placing some of it in an open bowl, it will act as a natural, inexpensive, and very practical odor absorber. In winter, if a lot of snow falls in your house or if ice forms, you can use it as an antifreeze, mixing it with a little salt.
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image credit: Billy Hathorn/Wikimedia
5. Ash in the garden and with the compost. Did you know that ash is a real fertilizer? When applied to garden soil, it adds beneficial elements such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus. It will also help balance the acidity of the soil, which is why you should keep in mind not to use it for all crops that like more acidic soils. As for compost, on the other hand, you can enrich it with wood ash to make it richer in nutrients, as well as to compensate for too much acidity.
Did you know these practical, do-it-yourself methods so as not to throw the ashes? Have you ever used any of them?
source used: FireAndSaw