What Can I Do With My Fireplace Ashes?

There are many joys that come with owning a wood-burning fire – the sounds, the smells, the sight of flames licking exposed brickwork – but, unfortunately, dealing with the ashes isn’t one of them. Don’t worry though, the Enviro-Flame team are on hand to provide a number of ways in which you can put those unwanted ashes to good use.

Add them to your compost

Adding wood ash to your compost pile isn’t just a quick and easy way to get rid of it, it can actually benefit the composting process. This is because the ash boosts the potassium levels of your compost, which will ultimately provide your plants with even more vital nutrients.

Use them for tyre traction

If there’s one thing that we can all agree on, it’s that winter driving can be a real pain, especially when we get our wheels stuck on an icy ridge. Luckily for you, however, you’ve got a little pot of wood ash stored in your boot to combat this very situation. All you have to do is pour out a bit of ash just in front of both sets of tyres, and as your wheels spin they will pick up the ash and – with any luck – gain traction and move off.

Fix your soil

If you believe your garden to have soil that’s a little on the acidic side, your fireplace ash can help restore the balance. This is because wood ash is around 70% calcium carbonate, a more alkaline substance, which will be able to raise the pH of your soil. Wood ash will actually do a much better job of raising the pH of your soil than lime (the mineral, not the fruit), because the particles are smaller which means the process will happen quicker.

Absorb fridge odours

As we’ve just said, wood ash is an alkaline substance, just like baking soda, which means that you can put a small pot of it in your fridge to help soak up some of the less pleasant odours. You could even try putting some on the window sill of your living room to help absorb odours in there.

Polish your silver

Don’t be fooled by those expensive metal polishers out there on the market, all you need to make your metal shine is a solution of wood ash, water and baking soda. 

Here’s what you need to do: 

• Mix 4 tablespoons of baking soda with just under 500ml of wood ash, and then add water to create a thick paste. 
• From there, simply dip a clean sponge into the paste and polish your silver until it shines!

Remove the damp from your bathroom

Since wood ash is a dessicant, it’s the perfect substance to help keep your bathroom dry and damp free. Just perch a pot of wood ash somewhere it won’t accidentally get knocked over, and let it passively absorb moisture over time. It’s as simple as that!

If you’re looking for a new fireplace, look no further than Enviro-Flame. With over 300 hundred different fireplaces available and a full installation service to take advantage of, you simply can’t go wrong. We supply and install fireplaces throughout Wembley and London, so if you would like to learn a little more, give us a call or pop down to our showroom.