If you’re lucky enough to have a wood-burning stove or fireplace, you probably tend to clean it quite often (not so lucky) – especially during the cold winter months. Normally, you’d probably just dump it out, right? Not really thinking twice? Well, you might want to reconsider your options.
Wood ash has been used in many creative ways for decades – even centuries. It’s jam-packed with minerals and is incredibly useful and beneficial for your garden and home.
Here are 65 ways you can use wood ash in and around your house and garden – you’ll wonder why you didn’t know about these years ago.
*Please note that it’s important to only use the ash from clean wood – not wood that has been chemically treated in any way (stained or painted).
It won’t have quite as strong of hold as regular cement. However, wood ash cement is an easy-to-use primitive construction material. You can combine it with terra cotta. Check out this
video for more information.
2. Basic Cooking Ingredient
You might not know this, but there are actually hundreds of recipes out there that call for wood ash. It has been used in all sorts of traditional dishes for generations. For example, pretzels were originally
made in lye water instead of being boiled with baking soda. Lye water is simply wood ash mixed into water and then strained.
If your driveway and sidewalks get slippery in the winter, don’t worry. Wood ash can help with that. Spreading it over icy surfaces will go a long way towards melting the ice. You just have to be careful not to accidentally track any ash inside afterward.
Bees are in a vulnerable state right now so we have to do everything we can to protect them. Why not help them fend off potential invaders? A circle of wood ash spread around a beehive will prevent the ants from going in after the honey.
It probably won’t take the color out of your hair, however, wood ash is great for removing dye stains from your scalp and skin. Rub the ash into the stain on your skin, rinse it, and repeat the process until it is gone.
It’s clear that ants really hate wood ash, yet it’s not toxic enough to kill them. If you have a troublesome anthill in your yard, sprinkle a pile of wood ash on it. The ants should evacuate and move on to another location.
According to a
farmer in Africa, covering your tomatoes in ash after harvesting them will help to keep them from going bad. He stores his tomatoes in ash from banana trees and it keeps them from rotting for up to five or six months.
If the soil in your garden is too acidic, wood ash can work to change its properties. It’s a substance with a very basic PH. Sprinkling it on the soil will help to balance things out.
Wood ash can be used to season foods. Just load up some maple ash into a salt shaker and pour a little onto your next dish. The delicious smoky flavor will have you using it with every meal.
Use wood ash in your yard or garden as a natural fertilizer. It still contains tons of minerals from the trees even after it has been burnt down to ash. Not to mention, it will help keep away the pests without any toxic side effects. A circle of wood ash around plants such as lettuce will keep any slugs from coming close.
Another food application of wood ash is as a leavening agent. Before baking soda was invented, many Europeans processed wood ash into potash. Many traditional baked goods recipes list it as an ingredient.
If you live in a rural area, a common problem is that animals such as bears can show up to check out your compost pile. Sprinkling wood ash on top of it will help to reduce the possibility of any unwanted visitors while also increasing the quality of the compost.
Dusting a chicken or turkey with wood ash is a natural treatment for fleas as well as other annoying insects. The dust bath sounds counterintuitive, but it will actually provide a nice coating for all of the feathers. The birds will be less likely to acquire parasites afterward.
The first soaps were made with a mix of wood ash, water, and animal fat. It’s thought that the recipe was discovered by accident when humans began cooking over fire. At some point, they realized just how useful the simple combination was.
Wood ash has been used since ancient times as a glaze for pottery. The first wood ash
glazes appeared in China around 3500 years ago. If you are into making pottery, why not try it out?
A wood ash scrub has a little more texture to it than traditional glass cleaners such as Windex. It is perfect for cleaning the glass door of a fireplace or even the dirty headlights on a car.
Not many houses still have outhouses. However, if you own a rural property or a cabin that isn’t attached to the grid, you might. Tossing wood ash in a composting toilet will significantly reduce the stinky smell.
Get your towel slightly damp and add a little wood ash to it. Scrub the silver with the cloth and it will come out looking sparkling new in no time. Ash can quickly reduce the tarnish of old pieces.
Something avid campers all understand is just how useful wood ash is for putting out campfires. Bury your fire in wood ash before you leave the campsite to extinguish all of the remaining coals. There should be plenty of lying around!
Wood ash was used in Native American societies to leech the tannins out of acorns to make them edible. They aren’t the only people to ever do it though. Several cultures throughout history have prepared foods using wood ash. In Iceland, they use it to make Icelandic Moss edible.
If you or your dog have some bad luck and end up getting sprayed by a skunk, wood ash is here to rescue you. Coating the body or fur in ash and letting it sit for a few hours before taking a bath will help to neutralize the smell.
If your car leaks oil on your driveway or garage floor, don’t fret. A little bit of wood ash can help to soak some of it up. It will absorb the oil before it permanently stains the concrete.
If you are a survivalist, there is a good chance that you hunt for food. Many cultures in history soak their hides in wood ash water before scraping them and tanning them with brains. The presoak allows the tanning liquid to enter the hide more easily.
Wood ash spread around the dark corners and cracks of a home will keep the cockroaches out. Plus, wood ash dusting on the clothes in your closet will keep moths from swooping in. Although, you should be cautious of stains.
Wood ash is a good antiseptic and if spread on a wound, it can disinfect it. There are also
studies that show it can speed up tissue repair and healing time. It is definitely a useful thing to have in your toolkit.
Similar to how people place a box of baking soda in the fridge to absorb odors, wood ash can do the same thing. Try leaving a dish of it in areas of your home that you want to deodorize, such as the kitchen. It works best if there are still a few decent sized pieces of charcoal in with the ash as well.
In the same way that wood ash can absorb odors, it can also dehumidify. A small open jar of it placed inside a humid cabinet or closet will prevent any mold from forming. Mold needs moisture to thrive.
Wood ash made into a paste works for cleaning surfaces much the same way that baking soda does. Although, we would recommend being a little careful with it. You don’t want to get wood ash on white fabric or anything like that.
If you have any garden ponds or aquatic plants growing outside of your home, it’s important to keep the algae under control. One tablespoon of wood ash per 1,000 gallons of water will help to reduce algae growth while providing the plants important micronutrients.
We’ve watched a lot of survivalist shows over the years and seen a lot of people scrub their teeth with wood ash. It makes your smile pretty black temporarily, but after you rinse your mouth out, your teeth should be left looking nice and clean.
Eye shadow in the past was created in some cultures by using wood ash and additional darkening substances. It was also occasionally mixed with herbs like saffron to add a lovely scent too. We’re not sure if we would recommend this nowadays, however, if you’re in a pinch, it couldn’t hurt to try it out.
Storing seeds in wood ash works to prevent fungus and insects from arriving. It will keep them viable for a very long time. In the old days of agriculture, saving seeds every year was crucial if you wanted to stay alive.
Cheesemaking is an art form and something all cheese-makers understand is how beneficial wood ash is. Many kinds of cheese don’t grow well in acidic environments. A layer of wood ash prevents the growth of unwanted organisms and off-flavors.
Curing olives is a mandatory step in processing them and wood ash is a great tool for the job. Also, ash is very useful in pickling cucumbers and getting the pickles “crisp”.
35. Primitive Acupuncture
There is
evidence that wood ash combined with acupuncture was the basis for some of the earliest forms of injury treatment and healing. Technically, it was the first form of tattooing. Wood ash was inserted under the skin at the site of injuries to treat them.
There is a famous traditional dish in Hoi An, Vietnam called Cao lầu. “It typically consists of pork and greens on a bed of rice noodles made from rice which has been soaked in lye water, giving them a characteristic texture and color that sets the dish apart from other Vietnamese noodle dishes,” says
Wikipedia.
37. Keep Bears Away from Compost
By dusting your compost pile with wood ash, it will prevent bears from thinking of it as a free-for-all buffet. Since wood ash is alkaline, don’t add too much. Start with just one trowel-full at a time.
38. Snail and Slug Deterrent
Snails and slugs are terrible for your garden. These slimy critters absolutely love eating lettuce and cabbage too. Make a circle of ash around your entire garden to prevent them from coming in. Stop them in their tracks!
There’s nothing worse than finding that dreaded dark spot on the bottom of your gorgeous tomatoes. Before the season starts, be sure to add wood ash to your soil for some extra added calcium. Drop some ash in the soil before planting tomatoes, peppers, squash, and cucumbers.
40. Prevent Frost Damage on Crops
When temperatures drop below freezing, it’s basically every gardener’s worst nightmare. Before a frosty night hits, sprinkle all of your crops with a dusting of wood ash. This will help prevent any frost damage.
Rubbing wood ash into your pet’s skin can help prevent any flea issues. It might be a little tricky to get your cat to sit still, but if you can, it’s worth it! It really works.
Much like rubbing ash into your pet’s fur will prevent fleas, this handy little trick plays double-duty! Doing this will also serve as a natural deodorizer for your pet’s fur as well. It’s a win-win!
43. Deodorize Chicken Coop
Chickens are super cute but they’re also super stinky. Their chicken coops can be a really smelly mess if not taken care of on a regular basis. Spreading a thick layer of wood ash, along with the charcoal, as the base layer of their coop will help keep nasty odors at bay.
44. Water Purifier for Bunnies and Birds
Place a piece of charcoal from your wood ash inside your rabbit’s water bottle or your poultry’s waterer to help filter out any yucky things. It will also help prevent any algae from growing as well. Replace it every so often with a new piece.
45. Help Chickens with Eggs
If you own egg-laying chickens, you probably want to add some wood ash into their supplements. You’ll find that they have better lay rates and longer laying periods. Mix in the wood ash with your feed at a 1% ratio.
46. Litter Box Deodorizer
Have you caught onto the fact that wood ash is a fantastic deodorizer? Well, it’s uses are nearly endless when it comes to making things smell a little less funky – including your cat’s litter box. Sprinkle a cup of ash, along with the charcoal, into the litter and mix it together.
47. Glass Stovetop Cleaner
Cleaning a glass stovetop can be a little tricky if you don’t have the proper tools and ingredients. Thankfully, wood ash is wonderful at cleaning these types of surfaces. Just mix a little ash with some water and carefully scrub, making sure there are no pieces of charcoal in the mixture.
Just as we mentioned earlier that wood ash is great for polishing silverware, the same goes for silver jewelry. “For necklaces, pinch the chain lightly with the ash-coated flannel piece between your fingers, and then pull the chain through your fingers. A few passes will restore that beautiful white, gleam to your jewelry. Rub and polish other pieces with the cloth adding more ashes as needed,”
suggests Rural Sprout.
Mice really don’t like wood ash, so when it’s around, they are not. Sprinkle some wood ash in the corners of your attic, basement, closets, and pantry. You can even put some in your cupboards.
If your homemade wine looks like it’s a little bit cloudy, you can fix it with a little charcoal. Put a funnel with a coffee filter in an empty carboy and top it off with pieces of charcoal. Run the wine through and you’ll have crystal clear wine!
We all know that moths love wool. Unfortunately, that’s terrible news for us. Put a little dusting of wood ash on your wool clothing before putting them into storage. Then, simply brush it off when you want to wear it again.
Where there is any type of wool…including yarn…there is the chance of moths damaging it. Protect your yarn stash by sprinkling ash on top. Brush or shake it off when you’re ready to knit.
No time to wash your hair? No problem! You can use wood ash as a dry shampoo. Just massage a pinch or two into your scalp and it will absorb any excess oil. Wait for a few minutes then shake your head upside down. Brush and you’re done!
We’ve mentioned time and time again just how wonderful wood ash is when it comes to deodorizing. Well, that applies to you too! Just rub a bit of ash on any skin you want to “de-stink”.
55. Natural Tick Repellent
Ticks are nasty little bugs. And if they latch on? It’s not fun. Rub ash all over any skin that could potentially come into contact with ticks when you’re walking through longer grasses. The ash will help repel them.
“When I was a kid, I remember watching my dad out in his blacksmith’s shop hammering away on one project or another. It all seemed very cathartic. And sweaty. Dad had a large can full of ash to use in the process of annealing steel. The ash would insulate the metal, allowing it to cool down slowly,”
describes Rural Sprout.
57. Create Charcoal Briquettes
Craving a burger? Use that same charcoal from your wood-burning stove to use as charcoal for your grill. No need to make an extra purchase at the grocery store!
And once you’re done grilling those juicy burgers, you can use wood ash to help you clean the grill! Make a thick paste with ash and water, apply to the grates, and give them a good scrub. They’ll be as clean as new.
Spill some oil while changing it in the garage? Use some wood ash to help soak up the mess. Just sprinkle the ash on the spill then sweep it up. Easy as that.
That oil that spilled in your garage might leave a little stain. Help disguise it using more wood ash! Just put down another layer of ash and scuff it into the concrete.
61. Create a Pottery Glaze
Wood ash can be used to create a pottery glaze. Using this method is very common in Asia. Here’s a lovely
article about this type of glaze.
62. Steep Corn aka Nixtamalization
“Nixtamalization is the process of steeping corn in an alkaline solution. You can make this solution using wood ash and hot water. Native Americans used this process to make hominy, and some still do today. Further south in Mexico and Central America the same process is used to process corn for tortillas and tamales. There are plenty of tutorials on the web for the adventurous chef,”
says Rural Sprout.
63. Clean Cloudy Headlights
If your car’s headlights are looking a little cloudy, you can fix it with a little wood ash. Make a paste with water and use a soft cloth to buff the headlights. They’ll be shining brightly once again!
Nobody ever wants to see a cockroach in their home. Deter and repel them with wood ash. Sprinkle ash throughout the corners of your home and under appliances.
“While these days people use something called “pickle crisp” made from a calcium compound to keep pickles crisp, they used to be made with a lye solution soak,”
explains Practical Self Reliance. It’s much like the same process as curing olives.
Did you have any clue that wood ash was so incredibly useful and versatile? After you’ve cleaned up your fireplace or stove, make sure you hang onto those buckets full of ash. You’ll definitely find something to use it for!
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H/T: Rural Sprouts, Practical Self Reliance
