Spring is finally here, which means it is time to clean up your fireplace. One of the tasks in your cleaning routine? Removing all of the ashes from your firebox! Once you have safely scooped up all of the ashes, you may think that your next step is to dump them into the trash. However, you may be surprised to learn that there are several ways to use these ashes. In addition, very beneficial to your home and spring garden. Ace Chimney Sweeps would like to share with you a few tips that allow you to recycle your fireplace ashes after you have finished your spring fireplace cleaning chores.
Improve Soil
According to Natural Living Ideas, you do not want your soil to be overly acidic. This is because it means your plants will not be able to absorb important nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. These are all necessary for your plants to grow. You also want to keep the soil from being too alkaline for the same reason. To keep the pH levels of your soil balanced, you can mix your fireplace ashes into the soil. The high calcium carbonate levels in wood ashes that will improve the soil by neutralizing it. This can really boost calcium-loving plants like tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, lettuce, and apple trees.
Keep Slugs & Other Critters Away
These slimy critters can wreak havoc on your garden at night and can eat a great deal of your young plants. Sprinkling your fireplace ashes around the perimeter of your garden is a great way of deterring slugs and snails. Remember to avoid getting ashes on the plants themselves and to add more ashes after each rainfall.
Polish Silver
Your fireplace ashes can work wonders in your garden, but they have other household uses as well. One of these uses is polishing silver, metal, and even glass. Take a cup of ashes and add enough water to make a thick paste that you can apply to your dirty and tarnished pieces of silver, metal, and glass. After the paste sits for a few minutes, wipe it away with a clean cloth.
Absorb Odors
Wood ashes have a similar composition to baking soda that gives them the ability to absorb odors in your refrigerator and smelly rooms. Place a bowl of fireplace ashes anywhere you need to neutralize odors. Remember to discard the old ashes and replace with new ones every four or five days.
Your fireplace ashes can also clean up grease spills and remove oil stains from masonry surfaces. Also, you can also use the ashes that you remove from your firebox during the winter to melt ice and snow on your driveway and walkways. Contact us at Ace Chimney Sweeps to find out more uses for your fireplace ashes as well as any chimney maintenance, repair, and installation needs you may need!