Can I Re-Use My Wood Ash?
In a world where being environmentally conscious is so crucial, having a re-use/re-purpose mindset is so important. All resources are precious, so when I discovered this article on the Guild Of Master Chimney Sweeps website, I really wanted to share it with you. This is word for word from their website so all credit goes to them, but the message holds so much value, I hope you enjoy it and learn some top tips:
Are you throwing your wood ash in the bin?
If you don’t use your ash, someone you know may be very pleased to have it.
10 uses for wood ash
1: Cleaning Woodburner glass
If you are burning correctly (hot enough) the stove glass should stay clear (dark glass is a symptom of insufficient burning - speak to a professional sweep about how to avoid dark glass). But even the most efficient burners need the glass cleaned from time to time. Use some wood ash on a moist cloth or kitchen towel to remove light deposits.
2: Leave some behind for the next fire
Ash is a good insulator. A new fire starts faster, gets hotter more quickly and produces less start up smoke if you light it on a bed of wood ash.
3: Add ash to your compost heaps
Ash contains valuable plant minerals. Left in the rain or spread around the garden, ash will quickly lose most of these water-soluble plant friendly minterals. You can get a much greater benefit for your plants by adding thin layers of ash to compost heaps. The composting process locks up the valuable minerals making them much more useful to plants. If there’s a little charcoal present, that will help too.
4: As a chicken bath
Adding some ash under the straw or shavings in your chickens egg laying boxes really helps discourage mites. Also, chickens naturally dust bathe to control pests. Adding wood ash to their dust bath area helps reduce mite problems, and keeps their feathers in good condition.
5: Pest control
Are your broccoli and sprouts plagued by caterpillars? Try a good dusting of fine wood ash to control caterpillars on all brassicas. Totally no toxic and the plants will benefit from the addiotional nutrition when it washes away in the rain.
6: Give your aquatic plants a boost
Feeding them potassium-rich wood ash should help them thrive, eating up the nitrogen and leaving the algae without the nutrients it needs. Cheerio algal bloom! When it comes to using ashes in a pond, you don’t need much though. Apparently one tablespoon per 4500 litres of water is enpugh. If you aren’t sure of your water volume, proceed with caution; start small and give it a few days before adding more ash.
7: As a pottery glaze
For over 2000 years wood ash has been used as a glaze when firing pottery. Depending on the type of wood or plants used, the ash can help create attractive glazes.
8: Put it on the garden
You can put wood ash straight onto the garden and many of your plants will get some short-lived benefit. However, ash is slightly alkaline, so don’t use on ericaceous (acid loving) plants and not too much on most of them.
9: Soap making
Wood ash was commonly used in ancient and medieval soap making. Ancient soap makers leached chemicals from wood ash and mixed it with oils or fats to produce a soap like product. Later, medieval manufacturers discovered that leaching ash with slaked lime could provide the ingredients for a soap that lathered.
10: As a general cleaner
Wood ash is a very fine powder. Weve found many suggestions for using ash as a cleaning product - everything from polishing silver to brushing your teeth. It’s probably best to do your own research for any specifici cleaning purpose, especially for your teeth!