We’re showcasing 21 of the absolute best uses for fire pit ashes. So the next time you have to clean the campfire pit or fireplace, don’t throw them away. Save them up and use them around the home, garden and even at the campsite.
Don’t throw away those fire pit ashes
Whether you just arrived at your favorite campsite or you’re hosting friends for a campfire in the backyard, your fire pit is the central object that brings people together. People gather round the burning flames to have a few drinks and laugh the night away.
If the ashes have built up to the top of the fire pit it’s time to give it a cleaning. Not only does it look nicer and make room for firewood, but it also keeps metal fire pits from being damaged.
The best way to remove the ashes is with a shovel or metal spade. Make sure the ashes have cooled long enough that no embers are present. That way there will be no risk of a run away hot ash catching fire to dry grass or other combustible materials.
When removing the ashes, leave about an inch thick in the fire pit for a base for your new fire and remove the rest.
Now the big question; what do you do with fire pit ashes? Should you just throw them away in a garbage can? That seems to be the popular response. After all, they’re filthy! You don’t want to find the kids with their hands in a bucket of ash. You’d like to just get rid of it and forget about it.
But not so fast! There are plenty of uses for fire pit ashes both at the campground and around your home. So don’t throw away a free by-product that has so many advantages.
Camping Uses for Fire Pit Ashes
So here we are…….you just arrived at your campsite and find that the fire pit is full of ashes. While you might not be happy with the sight initially, perhaps it’s not actually such a bad thing.
After all, there are many uses for fire pit ashes. Even on your camping trip. Plus some of these ideas could have you packing lighter on your next trip. Backpackers will especially love these.
Dry Shampoo
A week away in the backwoods means showering will be tough. On top of that, standard soaps and detergents are harmful to the environment and waterways.
It might surprise you, but fire pit ash is actually a perfect dry shampoo. The whole point of dry shampoo is to remove oils from your hair that make it look greasy. Put a little fluffy ash in your hair around the crown of your head and scalp. Rub it in the way you would normal shampoo. Let it sit for a couple of minutes to absorb the oils from your skin. Then shake out the excess and brush or comb your hair.
Pro Tip: Triple check that the ashes or cold.
Healing Wounds
This one seems especially camperesque to me. Studies have actually shown that applying wood ash to wounds can speed up the healing process. In some sense it seems logical. Ash absorbs moisture which helps to dry the wound out. The quicker a wound develops a scab the less chance of infection the faster it can get to healing.
Wood ash is also believed to have antibacterial properties. All you need to do is take a little powdery ash and rub it gently on the wound. This is great if you forgot the First Aid Kit and run into trouble at the campsite.
Toothpaste
Another unusual but eco friendly use for fire pit ash is to brush your teeth with it. That’s right, just dip your dampened toothbrush into a bit of soft powdery ash and start brushing.
Wood ash has lye in it, which is helpful to both remove plaque from your teeth as well as make them pearly white. A periodic ash brushing can be a great substitute for those plastic, store bought whitening strips.
Deodorant
While it might not keep you smelling fresh on a first date, fire pit ash will absorb the odours of all those dark and sweaty spots. Seems like a reasonable compromise for a week away in the backwoods.
This is also a great hunting hack to mask odors so animals won’t detect you.
Tick Repellent
Lyme disease is no joke and as ticks migrate further and further north into climates that allow, they are bringing with them unwanted diseases. Wood ash is an excellent repellent of ticks as well as fleas and lice.
Simply rub the ashes on any exposed skin that ticks might be attracted to. Pay close attention to ankles, legs and arms. And always inspect your body after walking through long grass where ticks love to spend time.
Grill and Grate Cleaner
No need to pack harmful chemical cleaners for your camping trip. Grab a little ash out of the fire pit and mix with water to create a thick paste. Then apply it to the campfire grill and let it sit for a while. Next give it a good scrub and rinse the grill with water. Repeat as necessary.
Ant Repellent
If you find that ants have created a city of ant hills on your campsite or in your backyard, you can force them to pack up and leave with a little wood ash. Sprinkle a little on top of each hill and wait it out.
Ants can’t move the ashes and so they’ll be forced to move along to new territory.
Home and Garden Uses for Fire Pit Ashes
While you might think that using wood ash is only for the backwoods survivalist with no other options, that simply isn’t true. There are a surprising number of practical home, garden and pet uses for fire pit ashes that will have you storing them away the next time the fire pit needs to be cleaned.
Enhance Compost
As compost decomposes it can become acidic over time. However, the alkaline nature of wood ash can effectively balance the pH levels, returning it to a neutral state.
Toss in ash and bits of charcoal periodically to enrich the compost. The porous nature of the charcoal provides excellent oxygen pockets for tiny microbes working their magic and breaking down the organic matter. Those little workers need to breathe too!
Tip: While it might seem helpful to put ash in your green compost bin to help the decomposition process along, the dust created when the garbage trucks are emptied can actually be quite harmful to workers. Using wood ash is best left for home compost bins.
Garden Pest Repellent
Keeping bugs and insects out of your garden is a never ending struggle. But if you don’t do it you risk losing a season of crops while a ton of hard work goes to the birds.
One way to keep slugs and snails from reaching your plants is to place a circle of ashes around each plant. The little pests need moisture and so they won’t like venturing through wood ash, which would soak up their moisture, leaving them dry and clammy.
Hide Stains on Concrete and Asphalt
If you have an oil or gas leak on your concrete floor or asphalt driveway, pouring fire pit ashes on the spill will have it soaked up in no time. Then sweep up the ashes and dispose of them as necessary.
If you can still see a stain in the concrete use a little more wood ash. Pour it on top of the stain once again and rub it into the area. Sweep and dispose. Re-do this procedure until you’re satisfied with the results.
Remove Skunk Smell
You’ve probably heard of a tomato juice bath to combat the smell of a pet who just came face to butt with a skunk. But did you know that fire pit ashes can take away the smell without having to walk your smelly dog through the house and into your bathtub?
This might be one of the most practical uses for fire pit ashes since they’re already outside and easily accessible. Work the wood ash into the fur and let it sit for a while so it can absorb all of the odors. Then fluff and brush out the ash.
Of course, your dog doesn’t have to be sprayed by a skunk to use this method. It can absorb any nasty odors your dog brings home.
Make Soap
Soap is made of oil and lye. The oil or fat can come from animals or plants while the lye comes from a combination of wood ash and water to create potassium hydroxide. Through a process that involves a combination of the oil, lye and heat, soap is made.
That all sounds very simple, but lye is actually highly corrosive and dangerous on its own. Through a process known as saponification to create soap, there is no lye left in the final product. But before you pull out your mad scientist coat, dig a little deeper and research the full process involved.
Clean your Glass Top Stove
Put a little powdery wood ash on a damp sponge or cloth and spread the paste on your glass top stove. The fine grits created by the paste will work away any baked on food without scratching the glass.
For a heavy clean, mix the paste in a small container and pour it right on top of the stove. Spread it around similar to any glass top cleaning product and let it work its magic. Then wipe off with a clean cloth and rinse.
Kitty Litter Box
We already know now how great wood ash is at absorbing foul odors. And what could possibly be more foul than your cat’s litter box. The stench can burn through your nostrils. Luckily, wood ash can take care of that too.
Mix one cup of ashes and a couple of pieces of charcoal into the litter box to take the smell away.
Tomato End Rot
Tomato end rot or blossom end rot occurs because of a calcium imbalance in the plant. The dark black spot will appear at the bottom of the tomato and ruin an otherwise healthy harvest.
To stop end rot in its tracks, put some wood ash in the hole when planting your tomatoes. As they begin to flower, sprinkle a little more around the plant to boost the calcium intake.
The same can be done for other plants such as cucumbers, squash and peppers.
Clean and Polish Silverware
Impress your dinner guests with the shiniest silverware in all the land. All you have to do is put some wood ash into a container and mix with a little bit of water to form a thick paste.
Then slather the paste onto your silverware and let it sit a few minutes. Remove the paste with a soft cloth and rinse clean. Buff with a dry cloth and voila, your silverware will look as good as new again.
Freshen up your Fridge
You ever open up your fridge and wonder what the heck died in there? Just the same as a box of baking soda in the back of the fridge can absorb the foul odors, a small container of fire pit ashes can do the trick.
Fill a small soup can with powdery ash and place it in the back of the fridge. Change it out once a month or so to keep your fridge fresh. Just don’t use it for baking!!
Plant Frost Protection
If the weatherman’s calling for an early frost you’ll want to protect your plants or risk losing them. While blankets and sheets work well, they also put a lot of pressure on fragile plants which can cause damage themselves.
Sprinkling a little fire pit ash on the leaves will provide a barrier so frost can’t get at them.
Kill Pond Algae
Wood ash is rich in potassium which is a vital nutrient to promoting healthy plant life. While the ashes won’t attack and kill algae itself, it will provide some of the essential nutrients to allow other plants to flourish.
In turn, the algae will be left with nothing to feed on.
Dump in approximately one tablespoon of wood ash for each 1,000 gallons of water.
Lawn Care and Plant Enrichment
Using fire pit ashes to balance acidic soils can help your lawn and garden grow. To determine the exact volume of ashes needed you would first need to test the pH of the soil.
However, if you don’t mind playing around you can start by applying 5 to 10 pounds of wood ash for every 100 square feet of lawn. Then wait for the results and adjust as necessary.
The ashes also provide much needed calcium and potassium which enhances production and makes plants more resistant to frost as well as pests. Just keep it away from plants that prefer more acidic soils.
Deter Mice and Other Rodents
If you’ve got a problem with mice and other rodents sneaking into your house you’d likely do anything to get rid of them. So why not try this chemical free, completely safe alternative to keep them from getting inside in the first place.
Place some wood ash in the dark corners of your house and along the paths they may take to get in. They won’t cross that line.
Alternative for Winter Salt
Instead of using harsh winter salts to melt ice from pathways in the winter, you can use fire pit ash which adds great traction. The ash is perfectly harmless and won’t corrode metal either. I’ve been using fire pit ash after freezing rain and spring freeze and thaw cycles and have been extremely impressed with the amount of traction it provides. Plus I don’t have to worry about messy salt lines everywhere.
Do you have more uses for fire pit ashes?
As you can see there are plenty of reasons to keep your wood ashes rather than dispose of them. A free by-product of a long winter’s warmth or from a few nights spent around the campfire can be used as an alternative to so many things you may have never known about.
Do you know of any other cool uses for wood ashes? Let us know in the comments!!
