Wood Ashes: 14 Secret Uses No One Knows About.

Do you have wood ash at home?

And you don't know what to do with it?

When we heat ourselves with a fireplace or a stove at home, this is often a question that we ask ourselves.

Well, it was ... because here's a list of some handy uses.

I have tested most of these uses and can tell you that it really works!

What to do with wood ash

Me, who stupidly threw the ashes in the trash, now I know what to do with it.

And so will you, once you have discovered these 14 uses for wood ash. Look :

1. As a dust bath for birds

Place the ashes in a location where only birds can visit. Dust baths allow them to eliminate parasites on their wings. And it also works for chickens. Check out the trick here.

2. To protect your roses from slugs

Spread the ashes in a wide circle around each foot of your roses. They will deter snails and slugs from attacking your plants.

3. To fertilize the compost

Mix the wood ashes in your compost in small quantities. They will enrich it. But don't use too much so as not to make it too acidic. Your compost will love it!

Also to discover: 5 Natural and Free Fertilizers For Plants in Super Shape.

4. As a fertilizer for your lawn

Lawns love ash which is rich in nutrients. Wood ash contains 10-25% calcium, 1-4% magnesium, 5-15% potassium, and 1-3% phosphorus. A perfect cocktail! Sprinkle it directly on the lawn in small quantities.

5. As a multi-purpose cleaner

Mix ash with water to form a paste. With a sponge, you can scrub soiled dishes and clean the worktop. You can also rub this paste on the glass of your wood stove or that of your fireplace insert.

It also works for traces left by glasses on wooden furniture. You can also use this paste to polish and shine silver objects. Be careful, this mixture is abrasive. Use it with care and remember to put on protective gloves.

6. As a fertilizer for tomatoes

Ash is rich in potash, calcium and silica. And tomato plants love it! Put some ash at their feet to help them grow. Plants, like black nightshade, like it too.

7. Against ice

Is it slipping in front of your house because of the ice? Put some ash on these slippery passages. It doesn't take much for it to be effective and prevent the fall. Very handy if you have steps in front of the door.

8. To melt snow quickly

Ash is also very effective in melting ice quickly. Why ? Because ash is naturally alkaline, which melts snow. And if there is a ray of sunlight outside, the dark color of the ash generates even more heat which melts the ice even faster. In fact, I tested this trick this winter on my driveway and it worked really well.

9. Against the proliferation of algae

Ash prevents algae from growing in the water. You don't have to put a lot of it for it to work. A simple tablespoon of ash for 3800 liters of water is enough! Very useful when you have to take care of a body of water or a pond in the garden.

10. To eliminate odors

To remove bad smells in the shoe closet, put some ash in a rag or an old T-shirt. Place this bundle of ash near the shoes.

To remove bad odors from your dog, sprinkle ash on his coat and then brush him. No more bad smells, especially if you wash it with a special shampoo before.

11. To do old-fashioned laundry

You can also do laundry with ash. It's a bit long but it is possible! The ancients used carya ash. Find out how to do it here.

12. To care for fruit trees

Sprinkle ash around your fruit trees: apricots, peaches, cherries ... stone fruits love it! Just like apples that suffer from bitter spots, a problem that affects some varieties including Bramleys.

13. To repel aphids

When you have a nasty infestation of aphids or other crawling insects, thoroughly wet your plants and sprinkle them entirely with sifted ash. Leave on overnight and rinse off in the morning. All the insects will be dead or be gone. It works very well on willow and tomatoes.

14. To ward off fleas and ticks

You can also use wood ashes to prevent a flea and tick invasion or to drive them away and prevent bites. Sprinkle ash in the area needing treatment. The critters are not going to last forever! Me, I spill it regularly on the pieces of wood that I store behind my house. And I have already treated the yard because of the fleas that had infested my poor dogs!

The bonus tip from our reader Jocelyne

A big thank you to Jocelyne who kindly shared with us her tip for recycling wood ashes. She uses them to remove traces of hair dye left on the skin:

"When I do a dye on the hair and I have traces on my skin after rinsing, I remove them with ash. I wet a corner of a cloth, I soak in the ash and I rub the marks on the skin. I rinse and there are no more streaks. It works where nothing else works. "

Your turn...

Do you know of other uses for ash? Tell us in the comments what you do with it. We can't wait to hear from you!

Do you like this trick ? Share it with your friends on Facebook.

Also to discover:

32 Surprising Uses of Wood Ash: Don't Miss # 28!

10 uses of wood ash you never thought of.


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