Depending on the type of fuel you burn and where you burn it, there’s a chance some ash could be present once your fire has finished.
Most people will look to clean this ash away as best they can and throw it out correctly. But are there other uses for ash? Let’s look at what else you can do with ash as an inventive way of making the most of what has happened.
Help Your Plants and Garden Thrive in the Summer: Uses for Firewood Ash
If you have green fingers and love spending time in your garden, ash could be very useful for you. Adding new plants to your garden can boost the appearance of your garden, but did you know that adding a little ash to your compost has advantages too? You’ll need to check whether the plants you intend to introduce to your garden will benefit from the ash, but a lot of plants harness the vitamins within it to grow better.
The same can be said for adding ash to your lawn, within moderation; even our garden grass has acidic or alkaline levels that need to be kept finely balanced and sprinkling some ash over your lawn can help the surface and any vegetables you might plan to grow underneath it. It would be wise to measure your lawn’s pH level before proceeding with this because it would be unnecessary to disrupt its balance if it is already in a good state.
Similarly, the ash can be used as a deterrent against insects and other animals that might want to eat your plants. Ants and snails, for example, might be attracted to the plants you have in your garden, so forming a circle of ash around the plants you want to protect could keep those animals away.
Non-Garden and Varied Related Uses
If you have dirty windows in your house or car, you might think twice about forking out over a specific cleaner and instead look for a home concoction that would do the job. Mixing ash with a small amount of water forms a more viscous substance that can wash away dirt or grime much better than water achieves on its own.
In the same way that ash can clean surfaces, some people decide to use ash and water as a soap substitute. Soap typically comprises lye, a vital ingredient in its composition, and certain types of firewood produce ash that can help form lye. As long as you understand it won’t be as strong as anti-bacterial soap, we would advise that you consult tutorials before doing this to make sure you’re creating the soap correctly.
Finally, if where you live is subjected to harsher weather conditions like frost or snow, you could consider sprinkling a generous amount of ash on your driveway to act as grit. This goes some way towards preventing slips and your car tyres won’t spin as much when you drive off.
For the full range of HouseFuel fuel products, explore our website today.
