If you own a fire pit that uses wood or charcoal as fuel, you get a lot of ashes each time you use it. Fortunately, these ashes can be used, so don’t throw them away.
If you want to learn what to do with fire pit ashes, you should know Hausarbeit schreiben lassen kosten that these ashes can be used as compost, an ingredient for making soap, a cleaning agent, and much more.
This article gives you all the uses of ashes that you can gather from your fire pit and how you can adequately remove these ashes from your fire pit.
What To Do With Fire Pit Ashes
This is 21st century when you can almost recycle everything to serve a new purpose, and ashes are no exception. You can gather ashes from most burning items, and while you often throw them away, here are some ways to reuse them effectively.
Garden Fertilizer
Ashes are great for neutralizing acidic soil, and it does so faster than any other recommended method (limestone or potash) as it dissolves easily in water.
Different fruit, vegetable, and flowers grow with different pHs, so when a plant that thrives in neutral soil grows in acidic soil, it lacks other essential nutrients that aid proper plant growth.
Ashes also contain potassium which is an essential nutrient for most plants. In addition to balancing the pH level of your soil, you also get a significant amount of potassium added, which helps in photosynthesis and improves root growth.
Ashes also provide small quantities of other nutrients like magnesium, aluminum, and sodium. When using ash on your soil, monitor the amount you apply to seedlings, as they are very susceptible to damage.
Cleaning Agent
Ashes can be used to make an abrasive cleaner, which is used to remove heavy dirt and deposits in a small area. To make this cleaner, you will mix ashes and water to form a thick paste that you can use on metal and glass surfaces. To use this cleaner, apply some of this paste on the dirty surface and use a cloth to scrub it around.
Compost Material
You can add ashes to your compost pile and allow them to contribute nutrients that are needed by your soil. If the pH of your soil is neutral, you should add ashes in small quantities to prevent increasing the alkalinity of your soil.
Adding ashes to your compost pile is done by soaking them in water for about four hours and then pouring the liquid from the mix into your pile. It will supply some nutrients to your soil.
Ingredient For Making Soap
Lye is essential for making soap, formed from combining ashes and water. The ash used for making lye is derived from burning hardwood like oak, mahogany, maple, walnut, birch, and iroko. The reason for using hardwood ash is that they contain more potassium than ashes sourced from burning other things.
This soap is formed by cooking the lye in fat and then allowing the mixture to cure for some weeks before use.
Odour Absorbent
Ash can absorb any obnoxious smell anywhere in your home or outdoor area. It contains calcium carbonate, which helps mask smells like urine. If you are dealing with a more pungent smell, like that of a skunk, create a paste of ashes and vinegar and apply it to the affected area.
Bug Repellant
Homemade solutions are often considered for controlling pests because chemicals are sometimes considered toxic and harmful, and if you have ashes from your fire pit, you can get rid of bugs in your garden. You may need to use the ashes to make a ring around the plant you wish to protect.
This method is effective in keeping snails, aphids, and ants away
Provides Traction
During winter, the ground gets slippery, making stable movement very difficult. You can easily fall because of how slippery the place gets. Fortunately, sprinkling ashes over the slippery area will give you a non-stick surface and good traction.
As Fire Extinguisher
Do you need to put out a fire and don’t know what to do? Well, if you have a lot of ashes lying around, you can pour them on fire. This action will prevent airflow, which will make the fire die down.
Getting Rid of Spills
If you’ve been working with liquids that may stain the floor of your home or outdoor space, you can use some ashes to absorb this liquid and prevent any stains. A good example is to use it when changing the oil in your car.
Metal Polish
Making a paste of ashes and water can help you give the metals in your home an extra shine.
Control Algae Growth
If you have a mini pond in your yard starting to get covered by algae, you can use ashes to slow its growth before killing them.
Eliminating Soot
Ashes can be used to remove soot from surfaces just like they can be used as an abrasive cleaning agent. It may be the perfect cleaning solution for pots and pans after cooking with a stove.
DIY Bleach
While lye water got from soaking ash in water when you can make soap, it can also be used as a bleaching agent. After soaking ashes in water for a long time, the liquid obtained can be used as a bleaching agent.
Dust Bath For Chickens
If you have observed the behaviour of chickens, then you must have noticed them taking a dive under dry sand and having the time of their lives. If you don’t have enough dry sand for your chickens, you can use some ashes as a substitute, and your fire pit is one place you can find them.
How to properly dispose of ashes
If you do away with your ashes after reading about all these uses, you may do it right. Before gathering the ashes from your fire pit, ensure that you have allowed them to cool off for some time.
Please remove these ashes by putting them in a garbage bag or cardboard box and throwing them into your trash can. Disposing of ashes can lead to some health hazards.
FAQs
Learn more about what to and what not to do when handling and using ashes from your fire pit.
Do I have to remove ashes from my fire pit?
Remove the ashes in your fire pit immediately after use. That is because ashes can absorb moisture from the atmosphere, and when this moisture in the ashes comes in contact with your fire pit continuously, it begins to rust.
Piling up ashes in your fire pit can prevent you from starting a fire. The ignition point of your fire pit becomes clogged with ashes preventing you from lighting it. Too much ash can also cause this equipment to get damaged on time. A good rule is to clean out the ashes when they pile more than an inch.
Can I flush wood ashes down the toilet?
You should never flush ashes down your toilet, even if it sounds like a reasonable thing to do. That is because the ashes will eventually harden and clog your toilet.
How can I safely remove fire pit ashes?
Getting too close to your fire pit when cleaning out ashes can cause them to get in your eyes. It makes a long-handle cleaning tool the ideal option.
You can use a brush and dustpan with long handles to achieve this, and you can use an ash bucket to store the ash after cleaning and before disposal.
Is ash good for grass?
Using ashes is another way to keep your grasses looking lush by supplying them with the macro and micronutrients they need.
It is also considered a way to neutralize the pH level of your soil and provide an excellent growing conditions. However, ashes will be harsh on grass seeds and should be avoided until some weeks after planting them.
Conclusion
You may have been disposing of the ashes from your fire pit without knowing all their unique benefits. Well, that ends after you read this article.
All the indoor and outdoor uses of ashes have been explained above, and if you use a wood fire pit, you can make yourself a bar of soap at home.
Helpful Links:
- What To Do With Dirt Backyard
- Can You Put an Out door Rug on Grass
- Can You Put a Fire Pit on Grass
- How to Make Your Shower Paint Last Longer
- Can You Unplug a hard Wired Smoke detector
Learn how to apply each use to your daily life and learn the do’s and don’ts of removing ashes from your fire pit. And before dealing with ashes, ensure that they are excellent. It usually takes some days, depending on the environmental conditions of your region.
If you like this article, do well to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.