STOP Wasting your FireWood ASH! LEARN what we use it for...

[@Homesteadhow]

Please comment below if you recycle your ash and how! Thanks for commenting!

[@traviseastlick5342]

Ash is basically black carbon which is great for using for tattoo ink and another thing to think about is every single plant leaves a different color pigment in pottery glaze coloring. The actual color that the glaze turns out to be after it is fired would be evidence of what plant you used. I have used and saved marijuana Ash for pottery glaze. You can call it baked twice

[@Homesteadhow]

@@traviseastlick5342 whoa, that is really interesting! Way to use every part of that weed!

[@traviseastlick5342]

@@Homesteadhow waste not , want not 😉

[@PlanePreacher]

I spread it in the Garden, on the wood chips around the fruit trees, and on the hugelkultur pile.

[@zasde35]

Drip water trough the ash and you get a very strong base mix that mixed with clean white pork fat and you make soap ! It takes a bit more but , this is how it works

[@did4196]

Am I a homesteader? No Do I have a wood stove? No Do I even own a shovel? No Did I watch this video to the end? Yes!

[@corypatterson3072]

Do I give a shit no Did I comment on this yes Do I know why I commented this no Did I like Fuck no

[@joannemoser6070]

HA HA love it.

[@phuckyoutube5927]

Hotel Trivago?

[@Brandtphenom]

My man! Or Woman 😁 ✌🏼👏🏼😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@YeshuaKingMessiah]

You live vicariously through this channel

[@jacksonrox]

I have been cleaning these boilers for over 20 years and I would strongly advise you to use a respirator when dealing with fine wood ash particulates in the air when cleaning one of these units. Trust me

[@wildlifewarrior2670]

@Will Swift trust me Jackson Walden will not trust me

[@kingagrad3436]

@Will Swift it impacts your lungs

[@tonsssedell4318]

@Will Swift My best guess is he initially failed to do so, suffered health issues and was told by his doctor that dust masks are in fact not BS. Or just got tired of that coughing, sneezing and spitting that black coal dust while having a hard time breathing. In other words, it's probably safer to smoke while doing this than just inhale ash unmasked. At least if you have filter cigarettes.

[@damoncox2822]

To all the negative Nancy comments....wood ash when mixed with water,as in your throat and lungs,creates LYE....HIGHLY CORROSIVE AND CAUSTIC....... NOW LET THAT SINK IN 🔥🔥🔥

[@TakeTheRide]

​@WilliamHelstad It can irritate your lungs, give you emphysema and eventually give you cancer if you breathe in enough of it. You got the internet, Google it. 😊

[@westtex3675]

You can also use it to make soap. My farmer ancestors 3-4 generations back would collect lye from ash by boiling ash in some water, letting it settle, & skimming the lye from the top. Then they’d mix the lye with rendered animal fat/grease leftover from cooking, and then boil it down into a thick mush and pour it into a tub and cut the resultant solidified mixture into bars of soap.

[@cathyheston3029]

My first thought before watching this.....

[@ricksalisbury4219]

Not all ash is the same.

[@deborahraeihle2063]

@@ricksalisbury4219 l

[@johnpeters1441]

Yep, my great grandmother did the same .

[@samwheeler1650]

ash from hardwood is best for this imo.

[@Jonathan-sz4lt]

I blown away at the ash cleaning up oil in the garage...then the knowledge just kept on coming. Thank you for sharing!!

[@nunabsnais]

Ash was used in making cement blocks. That's where the word "cinder" block came from.

[@Marco-fi6gv]

👍

@Self Employed amen

[@emilmckellar4932]

You forgot the fly in fly ash. this is something else in the Portland cement process. If only the romans knew this they would not have sent slaves into eruption craters to collect ingredients...ash. Some idiot on KZbin will have a video saying it is brilliant, but so are there people that say the new ghost busters are brilliant.

[@emilmckellar4932]

@Self Employed None here!

[@alecnolastname4362]

@ At risk of continueing to creep her out... *whistles at her* Okay I’m done now.

[@jimandskittum]

Clean windows with it? Sounds like a pane in the ash. That's all I got

[@rudolfrednose7351]

Works though.

[@kenprevatt1267]

Lol

[@kenprevatt1267]

Free your mind your ash will follow

[@kenprevatt1267]

@singing bird lmao ty I will keep that in mind but I don’t think I ashed for your input ..Im sorry I couldn’t help myself have a great day it is Ash Wednesday

[@jamesbowerify]

Not a pain in the sash??

[@lightseeker2242]

I use my wood ash to melt snow and ice in the driveway where it slopes to the road. I found that ice on my walks instantly were safer with only a the lightest sprinkle of ash. I didn't want to track a lot of it in the house or for my dogs to get a lot of it on their feet. I call it "instant traction" because it really works instantly. I carry a jar of it in the car during winter so if I come across an icy parking lot, I can walk safely. I also spread it over snow on my driveway and it melts the snow quite well. I now have new uses for it. Thank You!

[@georgesowerby193]

✓✓✓😜😊😂🥃😘

[@robinr5669]

You can damage the plants that get the runoff

[@4maryjowells]

@@robinr5669 how so? Ash is great for plants.

[@Shrimp_Insurance]

@@4maryjowells Depends on the plants

[@notchs0son]

@@Shrimp_Insurance depends how much ash too, if it’s not a lot like they say then it really won’t do harm.

[@joelalonde5439]

I'm from the Northwest Territories, Canada and we also use ash for vehicles that are stuck in either snow or ice. Just lay a line of ash in front of your traction tires and your slipping and sliding is reduced to pulling you out..amazing..great video.. btw

[@ser6Ijvolk]

You should really specify, that before using ash as a fertilizer, you should find out your soil's pH level. Ash is alkaline, it will raise it, so if you already have an alkaline soil, it'll make it unbearable for plants and you'll end up killing your garden. Also it depends on what you grow, some plants prefer acidic soil, some alkaline.

[@michaelcorbidge7914]

@@MrJon1157 do you perhaps mean calcium instead of chlorine

[@Daniela-pr7rz]

No, he is right about chlorine, it is added to water to kill bacteria.

[@MikfinityPog]

Good point

[@alan30189]

@@MrJon1157 if you can help it, never use tapwater to water your plants. While letting it sit for 24 hours to let the chlorine evaporate is good, tap water is not very beneficial to the soil quality and your plants. Some people water their garden directly with a hose. The chlorine and any other chemicals in that tap water will kill beneficial microbes in the soil. Instead, collect and use rainwater.

[@jeremyscott6641]

Ruined my raspberry patch doing this, ended up reversing the damage by adding citric acid which really helped

[@savarysolutions2290]

Wood ash has been used historically for making lye, a key ingredient for making soap. Ash from harder wood species is preferable.

[@mindyhyler8188]

I loved it when my class learned that! We learned how to make lye from the ashes, and then got to make soap from our lye we made. Best classes ever!

[@machomachinmachinmachinmac6910]

That's a lye.

[@fiona1963]

My grandmother used to make soap with ash and rendered fat.

[@mindyhyler8188]

@@fiona1963 that's so cool. I like it but it takes a while if your not set up for it. I made some when I got older just to do it, but I don't make soap like that now. one of my class mates went and started a soap business. It's very nice and the soap is so beautiful, I now milk my goats and trade her milk, she then makes goat milk soap and I get some homemade goat milk soap that smells and feels so beautiful ❤️

[@tmckmusic8584]

@@fiona1963 Yes! Ash alone is very detoxifying. Makes me think we don't need to make lye.

[@JorgeGarcia-lw7vc]

Great video. I know that in some very dry areas where there is little water, people use ash to wash dishes. Turning "waste" into something valuable is golden, and something we should all do more of. Thanks for the great video!

[@dentedcokecan]

I've actually heard of that...👍

[@JorgeGarcia-lw7vc]

@@dentedcokecan Yes, a friend of mine from northern India said that that is done in areas where or when water is scarce. They just rub the dishes with ash, and it cleans them.

[@mmccrownus2406]

ANOTHER LIST OF USES 1. Putting wood ash on an ants nest forces them to relocate…the ash seems to cause them problems so they pack and leave. 2. A pan of ash in the corner of a basement or other dark area will deter mice and roaches. I’ve never tried this one but I’m assured by a friend that it works. 3. Decent sized lumps of wood charcoal will filter impurities out of water. A lot of water filters out there actually rely on different forms of processed wood ash for such. 4. Wood ash in a metal or ceramic container will dehumidify a damp space very well. 5. Putting ash on a fire will snuff the flames instantly. We actually keep a decorative bucket of it near the fireplace just in case an ember hits the carpet. 6. Neutralize acidic soil by adding wood ash to the ground. You don’t want to use this around tender, young plants though, as it’s too potent and will kill them off. 7. Sprinkling wood ash around the edge of a young plant bed will deter slugs and snails from having a midnight feast. These slimy pests don’t like the drying effect ash has on their undersides. Make sure to re-apply after rain. 8. At up to 70%, calcium carbonate wood ash can replace lime in a pinch. 9. If you keep chickens, ash mixed with sand makes a great dust bath for the birds. 10. You can even make soap from wood ash. Here’s a recipe you may want to give a try. 11. Ash on paths and driveways both prevents slipping and melts ice. It’s messy as can be though, so make sure you have a mat by the front door for boots to be wiped on before coming indoors. A bag of ash in the trunk is also great for giving some grip if you get into a wheels-spinning-but-going-nowhere situation. 12. The mildly abrasive nature of ash makes it excellent for cleaning up dull silver, other metals, and cloudy glassware. Make a thick paste and rub lightly. Leave the goop on for a few minutes and then polish off. Always wear gloves when you’re doing this though - ash is caustic. 13. Wood ash neutralizes bad smells. This means it’s great for home gyms, sheds, garages, or anywhere that teenagers congregate. Make sure you replace with fresh ash every few days. 14. Ash can blot up oil stains on drives and floors. Put the ask on the stain, stomp it in, leave for a few minutes and brush up. 15. If your four-legged friend got too close to a skunk help all you need is some ash. Rub the ash into the dogs coat, let him run around a while, and then brush him. This is the less tomato-y means of eliminating eau de skunk. 16. You can use ash to control algae in your pond. Just 1 tablespoon of ash per 1000 gallons of water improves the robustness of aquatic plants and inhibits algae growth. 17. Ash can clean glass on oven and wood stove doors. Make a thick paste, slap it on, and wait a while. Scrape off the excess and then polish. 18. Clean your teeth with pure wood ash - not ash from painted, varnished or treated wood. Clean your teeth with a dab of ash on the brush, rinse well and feel how clean they are. Just be aware that there can be negative health effects from long-term use of ash in this way.

[@tchogworks1987]

That would be turn the ants property into swamp land. When the ash gets wet and holds moisture they can’t live wet environment 😊

[@kingagrad3436]

Thank you M8!!!

[@LegomanBunda]

I will say the reason it might deter mice and rodents in a basement is due to carbon monoxide. Which isnt the best for humans

[@brooksdonahue8766]

I have used in garden, compost pile, yard, also used on stove glass (also use Ammonia and razor blade)

[@pacamama8906]

If you spread on icy spots, and your animals walk on it will hurt their feet? Plus they will track it in the house.

[@robworch]

when I lived in a Cabin out in Alaska, we threw ash down hole in the outhouse. Keeps the smell down Alot!

[@shamusmcwright2640]

I used a composter toilet in texas once that had you do a scoop of pine needles and a scoop of wood ash and it became neutral ph compost that they used on their flowers and trees

[@joshuaschoonyan3263]

Just make darn sure the ash is cold. Found that out the hard way...

[@thomasclayton4305]

WE used ash the same way. We called it flashing instead of flushing.

[@yaokomedja5246]

@@joshuaschoonyan3263 🧨😅

[@kewlbreez77]

@@thomasclayton4305 hah! that's cool

[@timhosler6326]

This is old school, but when making leather from a deer or cow skin a 7 to 10 day soak in a hard wood ash and water mixture will cause the hair to release from the skin so that the leather can be scraped and tanned.

[@jasonthurston799]

Essentially it's soaking it in lye, leached from the ash.

[@odurandina]

Cool idea! The problem is wood ash should be discarded and not handled--or used for fertilizing our gardens. Wood ash measures as significantly radioactive. You can thank the 1950/60's nuke testing. Guess where all the fallout went. That's right: it was absorbed by the trees. No problem handling wood. But ash is highly concentrated. It's the dark secret of our co-generation plants states use to burn tree junk, stumps, biomass and trash. Landfills where these ashes are discarded can be very radioactive. burningissues.org/radwaste1.html#:~:text=These%2047%20data%20sets%2C%20representing,the%20environment%2C%22%20Farber%20says. "Industrial wood burning in the United States generates and estimated 900,000 tons of ash each year: residential and utility wood burning generates another 543,000 tons. Already, many companies are recycling this unregulated ash in fertilizers. The irony, Farber says, is that federal regulations require releases from nuclear plants to be disposed of as radioactive waste if they contain even 1 percent of the cesium and strontium levels detected in the ash samples from New England. If ash were subject to the same regulations, he says, its disposal would cost U.A. wood burners more than $30 billion annually."

[@leemartin9156]

@@odurandina Holy Cow Batman!!! Add that to all the chemicals used by military on bases (including ordinance n vehicles etc), New England is a hot spot for cancers. We are killing ourselves and just don't know it yet. Ugh.

[@orangestoneface]

@@jasonthurston799 thought it was toxins from burning stopping rotting in leather just guessing

[@kylelastname]

@@odurandina thanks for the info.

[@carolyncrider8217]

My grandmother made ash or lye soap. She started a fire, got her mother's old iron pot and boiled the water threw in the soap and we washed our clothes that way. She raised me off grid . We always used ash in the garden.

[@Homesteadhow]

That's great we want to try making lye soap too

[@peterclancy3653]

My mum use to make this type of soap and one could actually buy soap bar moulds to give a professional looking bar of soap.

[@CarolReidCA]

I've made soap with ash too. Strain it, oils, essential oils, sugar or salt for a scrub, mictronized oats for skin soothing. Great stuff!

[@CarolReidCA]

@@Homesteadhow be sure to look up the oil to lye to water ratios! Not enough oil makes it caustic, too much oil makes an oily mess! There are recipes all over online. Give it a try! It's fun and makes some of the best soaps ever! It's fun to color it, add sugar or salt for a scrubbing soap & much more!

[@390WagonMaster]

Great video... For decades I have been cleaning the glass on the wood stove by wading up some newsprint, while holding the wad I spray some windex on it. Dab the wet newsprint into ashes and rub that onto the window in a circular motion. Do this a few times until you can polish it to a clear shine. Part of my every sunday stove cleaning ritual. Cheers

[@deadspeedv]

Me an Australian who doesn't even own a heater: Ah yes interesting

[@Xnei-ui3fp]

Same here lol. Live in sydney. Bondi beach

[@paulmitchell6485]

I lived in Sydney and Perth and I owned a heater....and im from Invercargill the southernmost city in the world where it gets to -5. But we call an air conditioner a heat pump cos its only ever used for heat

[@TexZenMaster]

As a Texan, I used to wonder what the white stuff was in all these videos. Then, we got a few inches of it last winter and it shut down our whole society.

[@Slavicplayer251]

no even a would stove? where do you live brisbane? darwin?

[@FemtoTheWolf]

same, in NSW.

[@rockymntain]

Note to Western U.S. gardeners: If you live in a desert area, most soil is very alkaline. You do not want to dump the ash into the garden, as this increases the alkalinity, thus reducing the viability of the soil for plants. If you have any question as to pH of soil, test it. Good for Western soils is plenty of organic matter that is composted. Do not put ash on acid loving plants like raspberries/blackberries. Take fallen needles from pine trees and spread on soil around berry plants. This helps acidify the soil and the plants will thank you with the fruit they produce.

[@shamusmcwright2640]

This

[@RetrieverTrainingAlone]

Same up here in Alaska...the glacial soil is fairly alkaline and ash does not help in the garden....it raises the pH which reduces Phosphorus soluability....aspen leaves from the fall works as good mulch.

[@Floralena05]

Awesome tip thank you so much!

[@Dogalot1]

This is TOO TRUE!!! Please have the soil pH tested before adding wood ash in the garden. I found out the hard way... I burn with wood and found the garden not producing anything for a few years. Working now to get it back in balance.

[@rockymntain]

@@Dogalot1 Put as much organic matter onto/into the soil. If it is not composted and broke down, you will have nitrogen depletion from the helpful bacteria that break it down in the garden. Ammonia sulphate is a good form of Nitrogen for alkaline soil as the ammonia breaks down into N and the sulphate acidifies the alkalinity. There are other inorganic ways to adjust the pH, but it is something that must be done continually to bring pH closer to normal.

[@apumasterp]

I’ve used it for years to clean the glass on the fireplace, but I just dampen a few paper towels, and dip them right in the ash of the fireplace. Makes its own paste. Also, ash is great to dump down outhouses to keep the smell down.

[@BangBang-hk4rg]

I do the same with my wood stove. It gets the glass spotless 👍

[@clive-t.m.d7955]

Smell reduction - absolutely. If you have a rotten smelling dustbin (UK term) or trashcan (for our American cousins) just throw a load of ash in, leave it for a few days and the smell will be gone.

[@sylvialindgren6676]

We keep a bucket of ash in the outhouse to sprinkle into the hole after use. Works great to help decomposition and keep smells down.

[@flowerchild777]

That's what I thought he was going to say too. Sadly, no😔

[@briancarton1804]

Your shiting me!

[@MarkO-im7lc]

Good advice. The way we are going, outhouses will be the norm again. Thanks progressives.

[@MarkO-im7lc]

@@flowerchild777 doesn't work?

[@sixpackbinky]

Wonder if it keeps flies away

[@randyromines7364]

Back when we still mostly had front wheel drive cars, I was taught instead of a bag of sand, carry a plastic tub of fireplace ash in trunk. Ash works like salt when you are stuck on ice and car tires keep spinning. Just broadcast around tires and on the path you want to go, it saved my butt many times. I also sprinkled on my patio and sidewalk going out to the mailbox when icy, it immediately makes a safe surface to walk on and melts the ice.

[@tysontyson1244]

I put some on my patio and sidewalk too! You can see the difference in this photo. thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/person-dirty-shoes-leaving-muddy-footprints-person-dirty-shoes-leaving-muddy-footprints-carpet-122736659.jpg

[@mycrazylifewfawnlisette3582]

I had no idea, that's really cool!

[@youretheai7586]

Brilliant!

[@louf7178]

Are you saying you all now mostly have all wheel drive? I was expecting this to say "mostly rear wheel drive".

[@jamesmarks8099]

I found it melts the ice faster when there are still burning embers.

[@gorway7]

My father used to clean his gun with ash and oil on patches to remove lead fowling... apparently something he picked up in WW2 where they used cigarette ash and oil to clean the bores and remove rust spots on the outside before turnout inspection. We used ash from the fire pit on our veg patch and to sprinkle on the compost heap, it's high in potassium and reduces soil acidity.

[@kkrolf2782]

Peter Sobocki Thank you for the added details as to “why” we’d put it on a garden.

[@hokimocus]

Dr.Wallach, ( a veterinrian and author of Hells Kitchen) talked about how wood ash was put into the garden or farm soil, as a way to bring nutrients back. He says that the elevation of metabolic diseases( heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes) could be tracked as our country moved to gas cooking stoves from wood.

[@ctrlaltdebug]

Andrew W could be that the cutting splitting and stacking of wood explains the metabolic diseases. As they say, the wood warms you three times.

[@karenp1687]

This was an infornative video, but what I really enjoyed was your perfect grammar! It is refreshing when I hear people using adverbs instead of adjectives in their everyday speech while they aren't even thinking about it. I know most people do not care about such things, but some of us do. It means someone taught you well and you learned! Nice.

[@tazz7830]

Karen P Personally... I'd pick knowing how to communicate in 4 different languages. English, French, Greek (Hellenic) & Spanish. MUCH more!!!!! Καταλαβαίνεις / Tu Comprends / Comprendo / You understand??! Thank you very much. Have a good day!!!! 😉☺️😅👍 #PeaceOut #CarpeDiem📈📉📈📈📊

[@perkinshomestead]

My husband has been using an outdoor woodburning stove for 20 plus years. He puts most of the ashes on the dirt driveway for fill. I have 1 very good tip that I hope people will do: use a metal/steel wheelbarrow, not a metal can. Reason being: you can wheel it instead dealing with a cumbersome metal can. My husband hasn't used anything else for ashes. Just a heavy duty metal wheelbarrow.

[@ChrisCross2014]

@Strawberry Shortcake Get one with 2 front wheels...it balance better.

[@jesspatrick2]

I use the loader on the tractor to distribute ashes to where they are needed. I keep a stock pile of ash that accumulates during the burning season.

[@deborahfalker5150]

Just don't let the ash and wheelbarrow get wet. It will eat the wheelbarrow up.

[@ericbeightol3214]

Here's something I learned and pass on to others. Even though the outdoor furnace is insulated, if you build a small, 3-sided structure around it you will reduce your fuel usage by 1/3. That is considerable. The structure keeps more wind away from the furnace so it doesn't have to fight against it as much. Plus you can store your wood right there next to it under the roof.

[@AlkalineGamingHD]

Brilliant

[@imafwatcher]

Covered 3 sided is your basic indoor fireplace.

[@f_USAF-Lt.G]

In making camp - putting a structured corner up with logs helps contain the light and heat of the fire pit, but is also to house gathered firewood to keep close to the fire so it can dry. Achievable with your suggestion also.

[@colemanadamson5943]

Not doubting your specific case but a regular fireplace is about 15% efficient. But outside, that 3 sided wind guard is subject to more airflow than in a house so I would expect at most 15% improvement....unless one has constant wind flowing in one direction......IOW's ....a very special case.

[@maxlinck9037]

same principle as wearing a wind proof jacket - you don't have to constantly heat the air around yourself

[@athewake]

Sift the ash through a mesh strainer, then rinse the ash with clean water. It can then be applied to ceramic pottery and fired in a kiln for a glaze finish to your pots.

[@viscache1]

We burn clippings and thinning from the woods and run three burn barrels all Spring and Fall. We end up with about 300lbs of fine white ash. This is perfect for increasing the strength of concrete that we are using on the European wood fired bread oven. What this means is no crumbling or cracking and popping off of bricks over the years as we fire the box for bread and pizza. Any left over goes first to the garden and second to the compost pile. Every third year we mix it with the fertilizer and spread in on the fields before over planting.

[@charlesbarker8424]

GREAT TIP THANKS

[@Jax240jk]

I made a compost toilet and used ash instead of soil. It was brilliant 😁

[@susana5052]

I've always saved my ash from my fireplace. I do live in a typical So. California neighborhood and some of my neighbors think I'm nuts. I keep a bucket of it to put out a fire. I use it for my garden, oil spills and lots of other things. I learned all that from my mother that's Japanese from her WWII days.

[@abigor315]

God knows japan had alot of ash during ww2

[@rosejafari8917]

A lot of Americans throw usable things. I putnit in my garden. Thanks for more uses.

[@susana5052]

@@rosejafari8917 I am glad to have added to the list!👍👍👍

[@susana5052]

@@abigor315 Not in as many places as you may think.

[@frankdamelio1351]

Good info Susan. Thnx..

[@tyleenmansker402]

I use it on muddy paths, especially where the dogs walk. Keeps the ground solid. I also put it in the bottom of pot holes on our dirt road before adding gravel, over time its like cement and keeps the gravel from disappearing which is a big deal in our super rainy environment. .

[@kizziah7777]

I made a path where my dogs wore down the grass with roofing shingles. Takes minutes to lay out and way cheaper than cement.

[@adrianjohnson7920]

Good to know!

[@shawnsisler3743]

I use ash when camping to keep bugs away from my tent. Sprinkle it around the base of the tent and ants, spiders, etc., will avoid it.

[@Marco-fi6gv]

Thanks for the info

[@modove3034]

Thanks i’m coming up with something for the summer then so while I’m in the fields picking 🤣

[@emilmckellar4932]

No it does not. That is why you can't buy it in stores for home use as a bug repellent. Bug don't care might even be attracted because there is a higher chance that not to find something that died and get an easy meal. Maybe you did it once and there seemed to be less, but please keep casualty in mind

[@cyberpleb2472]

Is that camping or glamping?

[@SkullGamingNation]

That's awesome! Thanks for the information

[@massivereader]

I live in an old steel town in Western Pennnsylvania. When I was a kid, the street department always used to spread cinders on the streets. The cinders were crushed up slag from the blast furnaces at the steel mill. The use of salt didn't really replace it until the seventies. We also had a coal furnace. I spent a lot of very cold mornings scraping out the previous days ashes and building new fires.

[@bluduv4him]

Just a tip, if you sit your full shovel of ashes at the bottom of the bucket and just pull it out letting the ashes slide off you will eliminate most of the ash cloud.

[@huntandfish1730]

And maybe put your bucket downwind...

[@billhatcher2984]

If you have a good fire it will draw most in and up the chimney

[@CarolReidCA]

I'd use a squared metal can, then use the hoe to pull out the ashes. Less work and less mess too! Keeps the ash off the ground from building up over time.

[@stoveboltlvr3798]

My grandma used wood ash not only for fertilizer but it's all she ever used for pesticide by sifting it to get the finest ashes which she would put in an old stocking and shake onto her plants.

[@edteets2554]

I found that over the years of using ash on my garden, I got it too alkaline to the point I was having problems growing certain vegetables. I had to add sulfur to the garden to bring the pH back to more neutral . I would suggest having your soil tested every year when using wood ashes on your garden.

[@fisk7aal]

It can easily be tested with pH strips. But you can also take a look at what is growing. Plants have different preferences. My lawn has a lot of moss. Moss thrives in low pH environment; so now I am spreading my wood ash to bring up the pH.

[@jimbanda]

Things I thought most people would know about.... But it's always good to get updated. When I was a kid , my grandparents and my parents used to mix ash into flower beds and maybe once a week go out the far fields and scatter ash as a mineral additive . 👍👍

[@Inkdraft]

I use ash to clean my stove window, sprinkle it on icy walks and driveway, and when I'm taking it out of the stoves I put a colander over the top of the bucket and let the fine ash sift into the bucket and keep the small chunks of charcoal out. I put the charcoal in another bucket and use it in the summer in the BBQ grill to cook food. I save some of the fine ash to make soap.

[@billludolph5738]

When we lived out on a farm in Western Kansas and we used ash from our fireplace to keep the smell and flies down in the outhouse.

[@wadewillson7738]

Here in Idaho we save the ash and when the dry weather is getting close we put a barrier of Ash around the property up against the foundation bugs really don't like crawling through it

[@kkrolf2782]

My Mother did the same thing with coffee grounds to keep ants out of the house in Illinois.

[@chrisbarham5373]

Im in Bugzilla ville nampa, idaho and thats good to know

[@gringochoppers]

I want to move to Post Falls in a couple years..but real-estate is so damn expensive..I'm building a logging trailer for collecting and processing wood which I'll do for extra money...or I'll be a handy man for all the rich women 😂

[@HollywoodCreeper]

@@gringochoppers There was some cool country music club venue there, but I also heard about Deja Vu Showgirls or something.

[@dawnhasbroken6304]

I'm in Idaho too! Southeast...I need to try the bug thing.

[@ruddahbah1735]

Neat Ideas, My father is a retired Chimney Sweep and as a kid he would drag me around to all the jobs with him. My only only advice to you is to wear a mask when dealing with large amounts of ash like that or coal. really fine particles get in the air and then in your lungs. that's not good. Good video though I love the idea of learning how other people do stuff :)

[@gde1076]

Wear a mask, you might get COVID, says Biden the great. That was a nice gesture buddy. Most wouldn't have took the time. If he is like me, he will say hell with a mask. If Biden says wear one, I wouldn't put one on if king Kong sharted on me

[@danielalejandro2151]

@@gde1076 he is not talking about wearing a mask for covid goofy I agree 100% fuck a mask because of covid but don't do harmful stuff without a mask moron you will die before covid gets you 😭🤣🤣🤣

[@gde1076]

@@danielalejandro2151 Oh good, I welcome that day. Maybe you can hold your ego for a sec while I tea bag that forehead.

[@lory2622]

My man!! You just got a subscriber and a follower. The “clean the glass with the ash” trick!!! The story is long but suffice it to say, you ended it for me today. My fireplace glass went from fully opaque to clear, we can see the flames. Thank you!

[@chrishealing405]

Yeah, my meth head friend used cigarette ash to clean his bulb hahaha

[@georgesowerby193]

✓😜😊😂🥃😘

[@jodyyoohoo]

Ooooh, I’m going to try it tomorrow am!! Thanks!

[@kristynsotelo1452]

Yes..I was quite impressed with the fire place glass cleaner too. Wonder if it would work in the kitchen oven as well. Yeah! I have experiments tomorrow!

[@PokéDude83]

@@kristynsotelo1452 did it work for your stove glass?

[@ChopStickSoSushi]

hippees at a rainbow gathering in a forest taught me that ash is great to keep the flies away from the poop pit apply a good sprinkiling over your deposited business after you've done your business and it greatly reduses the flies.... I don't know the science behind it

[@sampedro9316]

Cover your shit!

[@GarryTibbo]

I put ashes on my cabin floor and sweep every where with them. No mice bugs in the cabin easily for a year. Warrior of truth Garry.

[@Homesteadhow]

Nice- this is a new comment- and great idea I hadn't considered- thanks

[@nathantweeddale9057]

Rub them in your hair before going outside... no ticks!

[@allysonh6410]

Im dumb. What's mice bugs

[@Exlaax]

@@allysonh6410 mice or bugs lol

[@HollywoodCreeper]

Fleas. Ashes stop bubonic plague.

[@jackofnone9439]

I've used ash from my campfire to brush my teeth and it actually works really well...especially if you forget your toothpaste...you have to use the really fine, fluffy grey ash though. This was a good informative video. Even if we didn't have a woodstove at them time, we've always carried a small container of ash in the back of the Jeep...if you get stuck on a sheet of ice, just a little ash under each wheel and you be able to pull right off the ice.

[@jackofnone9439]

@Will Swift Use the really fine fluffy, grey stuff and it's not too abrasive...I wouldn't use it long-term though...but it's better than nothing...

[@darlataylor7537]

Old settlers use ash to fill in cracks and holes on their homes or cabins. They would add dirt to the ash anf add water so that it bonded better together and hardened. Great way to fill in cracks in concrete, or to make a slab if that's all you have. Take longer to cure but lasts longer than concrete that is made today

[@tmckmusic8584]

Darla, makes me wonder if adding ash to cob mixture would make it dry harder.

[@darlataylor7537]

That method has been used before. Adobe tribes and the like used cob to build their homes. There are many countries that use ash with cob to build Adobe like homes because they last a long time through almost any weather. The rain bonds with the cob substance and ash and it makes the material super strong keeping a home or root cellar for a long time

[@sbroccoli3942]

Darla Taylor are you guys talking about corn cobs ground up??

[@darlataylor7537]

@@sbroccoli3942 no, we are talking about used ashes mixed with dirt or natural formed clay dirt to make certain foundations, and can be used as mortar on the outside of homes like the Adobe's used for their homes and foundations. Cob is basically mixing ashes with dirt or a clay form mixed with water

[@skashed]

It's not quite like how you say, but you aren't totally wrong either. You need to mix the wood ash with water to start the chemical reaction. Then you form it into ingots and re fire it. It turns to calcium oxide. The ingots will break into a powder, and that powder is practically identical to type N mortar. adding water starts the calcium Hydroxide process, and drying in the air turns it into calcium carbonate. This process is done on an industrial scale with limestone (cooking limestone instead of mixing wood ash with water), and back in 'roman times', it was done by cooking sea shells, and other calcium rich items. Type N mortar is not like concrete, and does not resist acids, heat, and wear and tear nearly as well. To agree with your statement that concrete made today is not great; Concrete in modern times is over watered to make it more transportable and workable when filling forms and pouring slabs. The side effect of over watering is the concrete is its weaker (by about 50% percent in some cases). There is a lot more to this, and ways around this. I can site sources, and provide links, but it should be known that you can make a type N-esque masonry from wood ash, but it will never be a strong as concrete. Type N has qualities that make it superior to concrete (more pliable, cheaper), and as Darla states, in the very long run it will basically return to being limestone. However, Type N rarely lasts long enough to do that when exposed to the elements. I understand that this is the internet and this may read like an attack, but I assure you it's not. I just don't want people filling cracks with wood ash right from the pit and expecting a superior product to concrete. But I do hope people go and try out this stuff, and realize how accessible and rewarding masonry projects, literally from scratch, can be.

[@MarvinWadeBarr]

Soak the ashes in water to extract lye water. It can be used to make soap. Lye water can also be used in Nixtamalization, the process of turning corn into hominy and dried then ground to grits and also masa for tortillas and tamales.

[@Homesteadhow]

Yes, this is a wonderful idea and we hope to do it in a video soon!

[@mickleblade]

You sure? I thought that nixta blah blah process used calcium hydroxide, ie hydrated lime. Or does it work with anything alkaline? Ashes are potash

[@thehammeredthumb7110]

Mickleblade, you are right. However wood ash has lime in it....I used wood ash in place of lime a few years ago as a substitute for lime in making biodiesel. Not that I am a chemist, I learned the technique at the time from the internet... it worked and I ran a fuel burning water stove off the homemade diesel.

[@Romasulmona]

Did not know about Ash extract can produce lye for home made soaps! Wow!! Question what is the reason for using lye in soaps!? Does the lye give the soap longer shelf life!?

[@crappiecommandos9720]

Marvin Wade Barr does taking the lye out make it better as a fertilizer?

[@LordGadwin]

my grandmother used it on the garden for decades. it builds up the soil very well.

[@victoriarandall9493]

I used your tip for cleaning the glass on my wood burner and it worked a treat! The glass was really dark with soot and now it’s clear. Many thanks for that… 😊

[@diaryofbrian]

Yesterday I cleaned the ash out of my firepit and today youtube suggested this video.

[@ralph5450]

7:45 I use mine on my driveway too. I get extra traction with the nails from the pallets I burn. 😁

[@boblablah3166]

I was thinking the same thing when that nail landed on the sidewalk

[@nathantweeddale9057]

I do the same with the bananas that I feed my chimps!

[@susanc.ganzel7108]

😁😊😄

[@louf7178]

I actually sift ash from a fireplace to get rid of chunks. It goes much faster than one might guess, and the ash is "clean".

[@janabest5098]

Next video how to achieve studded tires from putting ash in your driveway if you burn pallets in your wood boiler.

[@Zorro127127]

TIP: I use mineral oil (with a small paint brush) on my wood boiler door gaskets every third time I do a cleanout. They swell back up and It makes them last a really long time with a good seal. Otherwise they get cooked from the heat they are exposed to.

[@scott1lori282]

Use as border edging around the yard. Edges where you have to weedeat. I use around things like a septic tank lid. You always have to come back and weedeat or use grass killers around things like that so I started dumbing ash/coals around edges enough to suppress grass. Works pretty well. I also used around my garage's block foundation and looks good all summer without weedeating or poison.

[@judyofthewoods]

I use the ash-water paste to clean really greasy frying pans or dishes. If vegetable oil ever gets left more than a day on a dish in a warm environment it can end up like plastic and you'd ruin any brush or cloth if you used soap. You just can't shift that goo, except with a tissue or rag dipped into the ash paste. I've also managed at lest partially to deodorise jar twist-top lids which came off pickles and sauces so I can re-use for storing dehydrated food. Just left the lids in the ash for a few weeks. Great stuff. Love the oil stain absorbing idea. I've used chalk in the past to get oil stains out of wood, but think ash would work better.

[@CanineWild]

Well you've just solved two problems I've wanted to solve in the kitchen- thanks!!

[@dac9666]

Step one when emptying ashes into a container: check which way the breeze is blowing and move your container down wind.

[@susanc.ganzel7108]

😄

[@Mike-gt1cs]

My parents had a coal furnace; the sting of the ash smoke filling my nostrils as I shoveled out the furnace is a familiar, if caustic, memory from my childhood. We used the coal ash on our sidewalks, to help melt snow and ice.

[@orgbortondave6539]

Use a dust mask also.

[@diannespringer2459]

U do the same thing when emptying my container as well.

[@Gr8Layks]

Walt and the Dude learned the hard way.

[@timberwolf1575]

A lot of the uses in this video are based on the same group of characteristics. Wood ash has a relatively large proportion of silicon crystals (at the microscopic level) that allows it to work as an abrasive at a very fine level. The same crystals make it very hard on insects by cutting them up like diatomaceous earth. These crystals are also a pozzolan that can be added to concrete to change its behavior, or used on their own as a weak cement. Wood ash also contains a significant amount of potassium hydroxide, which has a lot of uses. Potassium hydroxide is a relative of lye (sodium hydroxide) that is nearly identical in usage. You can make soap with it, in fact you can make soap with your skin oils instantly just by wetting your hands and rubbing some wood ash on them, after a few seconds add more water and rub your hands. This is also a step in making potassium nitrate with its own host of uses, like black powder.

[@hischild8899]

Good to know...thanks

[@Ryan-pz9th]

Do you know how to make PN? I’d like to know

[@Smol-vehvi]

Wow I love this comment, very informative!

[@did4196]

Thank you for this comment.

[@ottohound]

@@Ryan-pz9th KNO3 I think.

[@5thElement555]

Ax gash cut on elders leg (young man then) in 1920's, packed wound with wood ash and spider webs on top of it, wrapped up, back to cutting wood. Healed magnificently. Great video, thanks!

[@Brian-do1vo]

In the 1500s ash was strained, with water, through layers of cloth; this was repeated and the resulting clear liquid was quite a harsh detergent/alkaline bleach for laundry. ❤🇬🇧

[@SilvaDreams]

You mean lye soap?

[@Brian-do1vo]

@@SilvaDreams yes

[@Goodntag]

And you can boil that filtered ash-in-water liquid with fat to make lye soap!

[@Brian-do1vo]

@@Goodntag oo wow 😂

[@GM-xo7yy]

Alkaline more like ammonia. Yep ammonia cuts through grease and dirt

[@GaisSacredCreations]

I've been putting my discarded ashes into my garden for years now. The plants thrive on it, natural fertiliser.

[@stevengates4437]

Um,what about too much ash on your garden?? Do you worry about that ?

[@philipandrew1626]

Ash contains all the nutrients that plants need that were unable to combustion in the original wood.

[@stevengates4437]

@Patrick Flanagan very greatful..?I have a 150 foot long and 4 feet wide raised garden for veg....so I am very greatful for the I do.....we have horses on our farm so our soil is very good..?but I am always wanting to get my chard to grow even bigger....I'm in a friendly competition with the elders at my church to see who can do it best....I'm 48....I have my tomatoes plants already 4 inches tall downstairs in my 9 light basement greenhouse.....I'll be sure to start smashing the competition from now on.....I'm trying to get tomatoes to ripen first....nova Scotia is a cheap place to live in Canada....an acre with a house on it is 200 000 ,where the same in Vancouver is at about 2 million or even a little more....thanks and all praise to Jesus and the holy spirit....love Steve...have a great spring,one month to go...chow....

[@willlaflam]

Some plants don’t like the alkaline of ash though....like blueberries bushes

[@stevengates4437]

@@willlaflam that's exactly what I'm looking for....any more plants to add to the list would be appreciated....I can't pay you for your time now,but if in heaven my house is bigger than yours,I'll invite you over for parties...thanks...Steve...

[@deborahsinico9732]

I use my ash around the base of my house to get rid of Ants coming into the house. It really does work!

[@Homesteadhow]

Oh that's a good one to know. We will have to try that this spring. Although our chickens do a great job of getting our ants, some do get into the house.

[@WollongongSkyWatch]

Thank you Deborah! I use it to clean my stainless steel pots, ceramic teacups, teaspoons, etc. It shines them up really well. It also keeps fly away from the dog dung bucket.

[@EarlyMusicDiva]

It's said you can also use it around the legs of beehive stands (on the ground) to keep ants out of your hives. I'm going to try it this year - we had a colony of honey bees abscond because of the ants coming up into their hive. Hoping the ash will keep the ants out and the bees in.

[@WollongongSkyWatch]

@@EarlyMusicDiva I really hope it works for you! I sprinkle baby powder around my yard chairs to maintain a bite-free perimeter, although they only bite when I have shoes on. I'm not sure if diomateceous earth will work, but it's worth a shot. Sitting the legs of the hive in small trays of water will deter ants. I have no experience with hives, just drawing on my experience with cat food. Of ants: a few weeks after my last cat died (16yrs old), I woke to an unfamiliar scent. When I opened the front door it looked like someone had spilled rice all along the weatherboard line of the porch area. The ants, unable to support their growing numbers, had evicted the excess lavae.

[@gabriellescouarnec8327]

@@EarlyMusicDiva We scribble with chalk on the legs. It works (but we are in a very dry country, so it lasts.)

[@aboutseason]

I've used it for my stove glass for years. But I live in Oregon where the water is extremely hard so I tried it on my windows and it worked great. I also tried it recently on my car's headlights. Just like a charm!!

[@truthblastbroadcasting391]

Just wondering if your head lights were yellowing?

[@janetludvik9889]

I'm glad you included a dust bath for you chickens. I also add ash to the nest boxes before adding the bedding. I have free range hens that can get fowl mites from the wild birds. The wood ash in the boxes takes real good care of the problem. I got that suggestion from and old timer who said that's what they did in the old days before the chemicals came out.

[@Zoe-c9z]

When he suggested letting it cool down, before giving it to the chickens for a bath, I thought of a flaming chicken might be good for dinner😂🎉

[@fireman5419]

Dude is working his ash off

[@willcool713]

Equal parts ash, charcoal, and mushroom compost, can turn household and yard compost to topsoil in no time. You only need a few shovel fulls to a wheelbarrow of compost, but you have to keep turning it, and you have to keep it covered or in a closed bin. The pores in the charcoal soak in tons of nutrients and become the basis to a rich, black loam, similar to what forms after forest fires.

[@hoobakam.3931]

Interesting 👍

[@krisbaker9427]

Except if you have neutral ph or high ph. Your method only works for low ph soil.

[@Green.Country.Agroforestry]

Cautionary tip: White ash is mostly Calcium Oxid CaO, with a VERY high Ph. Darker ash tends to have more Calcium Carbonate, which is an only mildly alkaline salt - the mild abrasive used on the stove window is also likely to be around 12 Ph, on par with sodium Hypochlorite (aka bleach). On soils that are recently cleared pine barren, reclaimed swamp, or part of the spoil of a mining operation, plenty of ash might be just what it needs to balance Ph .. but if you test your soil at a 7 or higher, you won't be doing your garden any favors by adding ashes. We use it to make hominy, so we can turn our homegrown corn into delicious an nutritious tortillas!

[@pjwoo276]

thanks for mentioning this. It is much more valuable info that that given in this video. Some people just go off saying to use this or that in your garden without ever considering that it might be exactly the OPPOSITE if what your particular might need.

[@Saturnit3]

Your comment piqued my interest so I did a little research, it says that plant based ashes are OK tobe used as a fertilizer, and the guy in the video uses firewood, which is plantbased. I believe what you're talking about is coal ash.

[@Green.Country.Agroforestry]

@@Saturnit3 Why would you think that I nixtamalized our corn with COAL ash, of all things?? That would be psychopathic!

[@Saturnit3]

@@Green.Country.Agroforestry No I meant that what you are talking about that is harmful to be used as an fertilizer must be coal ash, because doing some research I found out that using plantbased ash was ok for fertilizing. I live in TR and we don't have hominy here, I wonder how those tortillas taste like, would have loved to try them out

[@AC-hj9tv]

Wowowow

[@chaseneufeld3406]

If your car gets stuck, use ash instead of sand for traction. There is nothing better! A coffee tin full in the trunk of your car pairs well with your survival kit in the winter.

[@ozciva]

And if you get rear ended, your car turns into an ashtray.

[@richardfierro2699]

@@ozciva if you get rear ended, you have bigger problems than that

[@mrjoejoe191304]

@@ozciva 😄

[@Blackwater_House]

The Trick is to Put the Metal Can downwind of where you’re standing so the Ash blows away from you, not on to you

[@Homesteadhow]

I'm a dumb ash sometimes! I think I was more worried about camera angles and light and not paying attention. Thanks for watching!

[@suskaklapp6641]

He means don't piss into wind.

[@jtrose6995]

Blackwater House or in the lungs!

[@odurandina]

Wood ash is significantly radioactive. This video is failing to observe this reality.

[@paperaxes4192]

@@Homesteadhow also, don't dump it in the can from above. Ash is very fine particulate, so I try to gently slide it into a container instead of letting it fall. With a can like that, tip it forward so you have a better angle - you might need to set a couple logs down to stand it on. Then insert the shovel and let the ash slide off right onto the pile.

[@gregkral4467]

When I got my house, the old folks there used to dump all the firepit ash in their flowerbeds, no plants there, but lots of ash, we tore those beds apart and made a garden outta it, and some construction site topsoil from down the alley. I have never seen such huge carrots in my life, ash is awesome in the garden. Carrots as thick as my wrists, potatoes were great, corn was great, just wow......

[@bitkarek]

coz it contains potasium... pot ash... ash :)

[@phylliskrafft]

Ash for carrots ? Interesting.

[@MyNameIsINTERSTITIAL]

Gr8 vid!!!! Learning new things 2 keep in my back pocket evry day 🙂🗯

[@THEScottCampbell]

I dumped my ash on my hedges during winter. They stay on top until the snow melts, which helps deliver the ash to the roots. it's the perfect time and method. My hedges came back like never before and grew to 12 feet tall!

[@michaels3972]

When we have fire ants, or any type of ants in our garden, instead of using chemicals to kill the ants and risk getting it into our food, we just put ash on them . . . works EVERY time!

[@lukewarmwater6412]

ash suffocates the ants, diatomite cuts them and kills them just as well. both are pet friendly and will also control fleas. also if you just scatter ash in a place where evergreens grow you may find morel mushrooms growing next spring/summer.

[@LemonySnicket-EUC]

@John Gohde yes it does.

[@EvilSearchEngine]

@John Gohde Yes it does! John Gohde said so!

[@ironmantooltime]

Does it kill the transgenders? 🤔

[@witchofthewildwoods3496]

@@lukewarmwater6412 Yes! We get morels growing around our fire pits every year. Western cedar is native here.

[@ivanstepanovic1327]

You can also boil some ashes for 10-15 minutes (or just leave it in water or even better rain water for a week). Then sift it. For this use finest ashes only. Some people recommend wrapping the ashes in cloth to avoid sifting afterwards. If you don't use cloth like this, then after boiling it wait until it naturally falls to the bottom of the pot or whatever you used and sift it more easily. This, you can use for washing clothes without any detergents. It even makes foam on its own. However, be careful - it can bleach the clothes and damage the color. Also, for washing greasy stuff or even hands. Next, you can use it to - wash your hair, instead of shampoo! You can add some plants for fragrance and additional effect (for example, camomile). Believe it or not, this is great for damaged and greasy hair and even against dandruff! With 0 chemicals! You can also use this when you brush your teeth or to wash dishes...

[@robynmeyer7796]

Pretty handy as a wound dressing…wood ash enhances healing and also acts as an antiseptic- just make sure there’s no tanalised (treated) timber been burnt amongst it. Another good wound dressing is moss

[@brooksdonahue8766]

Or old lead based painted wood

[@allanmills6170]

If you have an outdoor "long drop" toilet, you can mix the wood ash with sawdust and sprinkle the mixture into the toilet once you have done your business and it helps stop smells and also speeds up the composting process

[@TheKSProduction]

Why not just wood ash?

[@johnbuck7538]

We mixed the ash with lime kept the bucket in the outhouse

[@harrycojones4273]

@@johnbuck7538 ... where can you buy lime in small quantities?

[@johnbuck7538]

@@harrycojones4273 Add lime to the compost bin. This will drastically reduce the time it has to sit, before being safe to bury or spread on non-edible plants. Use roughly 3% lime to total waste volume - i.e. if you have a full 50 gallon drum of waste, use 1.5 gallons of lime. My father bought it locally in upstate NY (Adirondacks) we had a 30 or 50 lb bag which we left at the camp over winter. The idea was that when the hole was full we'd dig out the compost in spring (between 5 and 10 years) and spread it on the forest floor (didn't smell as bad after the winter). I was too young to keep track of my father's purchase of the Lime and rarely did I mix the ash and lime. We had 2 stoves to collect the Ash from and a fire pit. The ash was placed in a bucket and the lime mixed in. Generally we only spread a small amount of ash and lime (about an 8th or quarter of a fruit can). The Lime lasted us for several summers. At the peak use of the Outhouse there were 6 family members and sometimes guests, However the longest we stayed there was 2 months each year. We shared it with another family of 6 and they came up for the one month we weren't there. No mater who opened the camp we closed it until the other family sold their share of the camp. By then I was in the military.I had one older sister who was interested in the running and maintenance of the camp and as a result the rest of us were not as active in the care of the camp. This process with the lime was important since our well water was down stream of the outhouse. The Well was never contaminated since it was dug 60 years ago.

[@johnbuck7538]

@@TheKSProduction Add lime and it speeds up the break down of the solid waist. You can add more ash or sawdust to absorb the urine.

[@himbohound3692]

I don’t even have any and I watched this through. I think my favorite tip was the cleaning for the door. That was neat. The oil cleanup was cool too.

[@toolspayless]

I have always put it on my drive way it's great for traction in the winter.

[@marietteberndsen9587]

At home in Holland,I when I was young, we used the ash from the cole stove for repairing the driveway. We, now in Portugal, use our ashes for the garden, together with coffeeground, eggshells and finely cut banana peels.

[@Homesteadhow]

Awesome, interesting to hear mew uses!

[@davesterchele2679]

For fertilizer, mix it up with compost and just let it sit for a few weeks outside to let the Ph settle. If you add a LOT of ash to a garden without much organic material, then raised Ph might be a concern, but adding a couple shovelfuls to a garden bed with lots of compost shouldn't change the Ph over the long run. Compost is the great equalizer.

[@mikkalbreeden956]

My experience, it cuts composting time in half. Although, I also use blood meal to raise the nitrates. So, it could be the combination.

[@thelast1163]

@@mikkalbreeden956 blood meal ..like raw bacon?

[@mikkalbreeden956]

Blood meal is dry or cooked blood from a slaughterhouse for nitrogen. You use 1 cup for 20 sq ft. It’s adds twice as much nitrogen than fish water from cleaning the bottom of a fish aquarium. However, fish aquarium water breaks down and shows in 2 weeks. Blood meal takes 3 months to breakdown and longer to show up in your plants.

[@davesterchele2679]

@@thelast1163 Like drained, dried blood.

[@rpeltier2621]

The reason ash becomes as hard as concrete is because ash, also known as cinder, is the main component of a cinder block.

[@Hempcretinglifestyle]

Fly ash im just debating weather to add some to my concrete algorithms new i have not even spoke just thought hmmm ash an this vid came

[@Bleilock1]

Thats not the "reason" why it becomes hard as concrete The reason is ash's chemical properties Its used like cement Lol

[@thomashoffpauer6186]

@milkman no, lime is not fly ash. And there are three ingredients in concrete, lime, fly ash and gravel

[@95frankie]

Ash cannot become as hard as concrete. Concrete is made up of three ingredients: cement, water, and aggregates. The cement reacts chemically with the water to form the paste that will bind the aggregates together. Cinder blocks are made with a concrete mix, ash or “cinder” is not the main ingredient. Ash is used partially to replace some cement to make the block lighter in weight.

[@hoobakam.3931]

You just blew my mind

[@painunmanaged]

My house caught on fire, & all the rose bushes on side of my home bloomed tall & beautiful right after. We had a hard time maintaining then prior to the fire. I believe they grew faster from ash falling from edge of home help my roses bloom like never before.

[@Homesteadhow]

Wow. Im sorry

[@hoobakam.3931]

I've read to many useful comments and now consider this video my tutorial for ash use. Cheers. Good video and many good user comments.

[@EPhilipSmall]

Nice video, and love the voluminous comments. Obviously a lot of interest. In my experience, to make lye for soap, or to use the ash as a caustic cleaner, use the freshest ash available. Ash changes pH over time, freshly made ash will have the highest pH. Ash that has been exposed to the atmosphere (moisture, CO2) for awhile loses its causticity as oxides convert to carbonates. If you want to use ash for fertilizing your soil, and don't need the high alkalinity to lime your soil acidity, then use the most seasoned ash available. Seasoned ash will still tend to raise soil pH above neutral if you use enough, but at a fraction of the effect with freshly made wood ash.

[@morninglight7544]

E Philip Small...Thanks! took notes.

[@Hello_Poetry-]

Thanks hon❤️

[@RandallChase1]

Mixing water and ash as a cleaner isn’t abrasive. That’s a lye 😉😂

[@barryharkins9390]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@kevin-jameskeary7893]

Brush your teeth with it 😂

[@cherrylanford188]

Randal have you tried it? In poorer countries they use wood ash to wash plates. It helps get the grease off. Try it and call yourself stupid.

[@cherrylanford188]

@@kevin-jameskeary7893 yes you are right. charcoal helps makes your teeth white. It's been done for decades. Have you seen Colgate tooth paste with charcoal. Charcoal is sun burnt wood.

[@feikotemme8736]

mixing a few drops of water with the ash from the ashtray on a piece of cotton cloth(old Tshirt,flannel shirt) works great polishing my silver pocket watch and antique teaspoons for instance.Items as well as the trick to clean them we inherted from my grandparents.I'm well over 60 myself now.Cheers

[@awalk56]

Great video. I've lived in houses with wood stoves & fireplaces my entire life & I just learned something. The ash as a glass cleaner just a wonderful tip. I don't see why ash paste wouldn't work on restoring faded headlight lenses, going to try 'it' & hit it with clear coat. I have used ash in the past for fertilizer & unfortunately atop of pet graves. The lye in the ash aids in the process of decomposition. Again, great video.

[@Homesteadhow]

Thank you Anthony! Glad you like and appreciate the video. The ash surprised me when cleaning the glass, I didn't think it was going to work, but it worked better than glass cleaner and didnt scratch the glass. Please let me know how it does on your headlights, thats a great idea! And unfortunately we have had a few chickens die here from guests dogs and we have a grave site here for them, next time we will have to try the ash for that. Thanks for the comment

[@fuckgoogle8857]

Did ash work on headlights. Intrigued. What about old motorcycle windshield?

[@billmers3219]

@@fuckgoogle8857 great idea!

[@bluebutterflywellness2273]

THANK YOU SO MUCH! Because I watched your video a couple of months ago, I not only was able to use ash on my soil and compost, but as a snow/ice melt during some heavy storms here. Also provides great traction. 👍🏽

[@vladimirnekic3241]

Thanks for the nice vid. #1 Use that I would have thought you would have mentioned is to make LYE, one of two substances used to make soup. FAT & LYE. Hard wood ash is best for this process. Thanks again for all the other uses.

[@stevepatrickjarvis]

Thank you HomeSteadHow I have a back yard with a firepit and I never even knew I could do so much from using the ashes.

[@CarolReidCA]

Make soap! Add water & oils, then personalize with essential oils, spices, herbs, salt or sugar for a scub, micronized oats to soothe skin, and so on. Also, the lye from running water through it through a strainer makes a good drain cleaner too!

[@hoobakam.3931]

Awesome

[@BelmontClan]

Sounds like the speech from fight club about how to make soap

[@KRowe]

We use it in the chicken coop to let them dust bathe in the winter- they love it! Also spread it on our hay fields. I have also aged cheese in wood ash- making sure the cheese rind is nice and dry first.

[@claudedupras2492]

Went to deliver on a farm with a 18 wheeler last Winter and the guy helped me to get out with ashes.

[@hootiebubbabuddhabelly]

Farmers are real tips and tricks masters! Two cups of water to stop indigestion and staying hydrated to eliminate it altogether, cleaning/dressing windshield wipers with flat coca-cola. Also, old truck drivers, loggers, tramps, mountain men, field medics and nurses, WWII, Korean and Vietnam war vets - and just about anybody who has actually lived extended and true survival scenarios. Wars, harsh winters, homelessness, extended road travel prior to the advent of cell phones...

[@MrJgritts]

When my hands get greasy or smell like gasoline, I wet them and then sprinkle ash on them. Rub them together and it's amazing how clean they get and how the carbon removes the gas smell. Try it!

[@davidbrakefield2362]

Does it work for fish smell too? Seriously.

[@xX_Skraith_Xx]

@@davidbrakefield2362 Ash is a great deodorizer. You could keep some in a spice shaker and use a little whenever you've got an odor that just won't go away. I use it for grease mostly, but I think I remember it working after I fileted some fish

[@fredlaroche6969]

I do the same after cutting garlic and onions at the lakehouse :)

[@kkhlufris]

Fun fact: you can use ash to rub it on you to stop an itch, itching caused by caterpillars hair. Sorry English not my 1st or 2nd language.

[@bigounce4293]

Hell yeah.

[@trevorvanderputten7430]

A good thing to know when you live in a rural and forested area.

[@zachariahcarmack7249]

That’s bad ass that you know so many languages man

[@tannerholmes1587]

Quit tryna flex

[@kkhlufris]

@@zachariahcarmack7249 Thanks man... It's not that my English is really bad, it just that I don't know some words or how to use proper grammar

[@britnyank9002]

Melting ice on the driveway. I KNEW IT! When I was a kid I would spread ash on our driveway in the winter if it was icy. I told my Dad that it worked and he told me that I had to be wrong. I thought that perhaps the sun would hit it and that's why it melted. I didn't know why, but I knew it was working! VINDICATION!

[@sumdumbmick]

you can wet it, mold it into whatever shape you want, and it'll set and be strong and waterproof. like clay that doesn't need to be fired. it's basically a form of plaster. you can also reclaim it by firing it and making something new in the same manner. you can add in animal bones to the fire, as well, to get higher quality plaster. this makes a nice material for making molds to cast metal parts, as it's easier to get together than sand casting, captures finer details and will set up to a solid shape that you can work with tools but won't just crumble on you if you so much as bump it the wrong way. and generally the heat from casting makes reclaiming it for another project very simple, with maybe just some chunks far away from the high heat of the molten metal not being converted back into an anhydrous material.

[@erikvanas8796]

When camping, I keep some ash for when I can't light a fire to boil water, the ash can be used like a filter for river-water, not as good as fire but it will help remove impurities and make water safer to drink.

[@strongside4565]

I've always used it to keep the dog walking paths free of ice. We have a 55 gal drum that holds it year round to use in place of sand or salt and like you said to clean up spills in the garage. Worked wonders on the garage floor this year on hydraulic fluid and gasoline. I've never used it as an abrasive scrubber, but I definitely have some things that could use a good scrubbing.

[@lindalober626]

I have been using ash in my garden and around my Rose of Sharon. It is amazing when you recycle how God makes it all work for you. Thanks for sharing nice Homestead!

[@beckypotz6656]

Love the idea of patching holes in your driveway. Going to try it this spring have 4 large pot holes that going to give it a try on. I don't have a outdoor boiler but use my fireplace to heat my house.

[@wheelingsdeborahwilson8142]

When I was a teenager I worked as a "shampoo girl" at the local beauty shop. The ladies who got their gray hair dyed did not like the "evidence" that was left behind (the dye would stain their skin). The boss had me use the ash from the ashtrays to remove hair dye from the customer's hairline. First I washed the hair when it was time to remove the dye. Then, I took an old towel and my index finger into an old towel and dampened it just a bit and then collected all the ash from the ashtray that would stick to it and rubbed it all around the forehead, neckline and outer ears.

[@Homesteadhow]

Wow, this is a new comment for ash, thx!

[@robertruf6226]

add a little diesel and it makes a great fire starter. put a tablespoon amount under whatever, and light. no need for lighter fluid.

[@Cosigner22]

I've never mixed it with ash before, does it help to ignite the diesel a little easier? Diesel is very difficult to light with a flame due to it being a combustible and not a flammable.

[@robertruf6226]

@@Cosigner22 just add enough diesel to make it the ash lightly moist. not like a paste. it will ignite easily even if a little to wet. i use about a tablespoon amount to get the wood stove going with small kindling.

[@Cosigner22]

@@robertruf6226 ...good to know. Thanks for the info

[@emilmckellar4932]

Or, and this is out there. Pour kerosene over what you wanna burn an toss in a match. Cost is minimal compared to messing with ash and diesel and storing and and