With the fireplace, the wood boiler or the stove burning at full capacity in autumn and winter, we no longer know what to do with the ashes that remain on our hands. In addition, the question of their recycling also arises with our summer barbecues. Often, gardeners keep them as a natural fertilizer for compost and the vegetable garden. In addition, the ash repels parasites (against slugs and snails) and removes moss from the lawn. However, we can also recycle them in our interior as a household product! Moreover, the wonderful recipe for ash lye shows how useful they can be. Rich in mineral salts, phosphorus, magnesium, silica and potash, ash is in fact a powerful degreasing and cleaning agent. So, here are some examples of things you can clean with your wood ashes.
Also rediscover 12 unimaginable, but effective uses of wood ashes!
1) Wood ashes to clean windows
Take newspaper or a damp cloth and sifted cooled ashes. Soak the newspaper in ash and rub the windows, fireplace insert or oven glass with it. After a few moments, you can rinse and wipe with a clean microfiber cloth. Wood ashes have the advantage of cleaning and degrease glass surfaces without leaving a trace. In addition, it is the most effective natural product for removing soot from fireplace glass.
2) The best for degreasing and scrubbing everything
If the potash from wood ashes makes a good lye, it also gives a good super degreasing maintenance product to scrub and degrease everything inside. Thus, it can be used in sanitary facilities (toilets, sinks, bathtubs, etc.) as well as on car rims or barbecue grills. In addition, they clean the most difficult items in the kitchen. Fryer, four, burnt pan and other encrusted tableware can’t resist it! For example, dishes can be soaked in a mixture of water and ashes for a few moments. Alternatively, you can make a gray paste with water and ashes and use it to scrub and recover difficult grease-encrusted dishes and dirty cast iron casserole dishes. On the other hand, since it is not antibacterial, iron a sponge and dishwashing liquid afterwards.
3) Hunting bad odors in the house
In a smelly fridge, replace the bowl of coffee grounds, the cup of baking soda or the glass of lukewarm milk with ashes! In fact, they will allowabsorb unpleasant odors to neutralize them sustainably. Here, a simple bowl of ash in the refrigerator or litter box will suffice. What’s more, the ash can also be used to deodorize your pets’ coat. So, if your dog smells bad, rub a handful of ashes on his coat and brush thoroughly! This will remove stubborn odors. On the other hand, read our warnings at the end of the article carefully to do not use toxic wood on your four-legged friend…
4) An unusual way to make brass and silverware shine
Sifted ashes make dishes shine and work wonders for cleaning silverware and brass. So, if your copper pans and grandma’s cutlery lack lusterthink about it! To do this, make a paste of water and ashes to rub on the pieces of the silver service. If this is not enough to restore their shine, use our “scientific tip” which restores silverware to new condition. Easy, it will probably not be necessary since the ash is very effective.
Bonus Tip: Ash vs. Ice on the Ground
Replace road salt with wood ashes for ice on the ground. So, if the ground slips outside because of ice or snow, you can melt ice quickly ! In addition to thawing courtyards, stairs and paths transformed into ice rinks by winter weather, ashes are less harmful to the floors than salt and do not damage concrete.
Please note: some ashes cannot be recycled!
Some woods are treated with toxic substances. It is therefore out of the question to use them on your animals, for the garden and in your home.
Therefore, you should avoid using ashes:
- Mixed with chemical fire starter (no problem, however, if the fire starter is homemade)
- Treated or recovered wood (pallets, etc.)
- The very toxic ashes from the coal stove
- Wood containing plastic
- And finally plywood, composites or OSB panels (because of chemical glues and resins).
On the other hand, you can safely recycle the ashes:
- Plants (straw, leaves, branches, etc.)
- Made from natural wood from wood pellets or logs
- And those of any wood not treated with chemicals, painted or varnished
And above all, remember to let the wood ash cool before slipping it into an iron bucket and sift itespecially for crates that have staples!