Fireplace ashes

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HoosierLawnGnome
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Fireplace ashes

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » December 9th, 2016, 3:49 pm

What do you do with them?

Can they help at all with a garden compost type mix?

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Re: Fireplace ashes

Post by andy10917 » December 9th, 2016, 4:42 pm

They're useful, when applied lightly over a broad area. Flinging a pailful as far as you can? Not so much.

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Re: Fireplace ashes

Post by MorpheusPA » December 9th, 2016, 10:15 pm

+1 Andy. They do contain a lot of potassium, so that's nice. On the down side, as I said, they contain a lot of potassium. :-)

While it's a great K source, it's also going to raise your pH rather quickly and rather much. Ash, when combined with water, turns to potassium hydroxide. That's great if you want to make soap, but your soil really doesn't like the stuff.

Plus all the heavy metals that the trees concentrated in their wood has been further concentrated by burning and removing all the volatiles. Over time, that can cause problems with your micro-element balances and, more importantly, lead.

Don't use the stuff at all on soils with a pH that's optimal or above. On extraordinarily acidic soils, I might say 10 pounds per thousand square feet of wood ash, once per year. But no more.

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Re: Fireplace ashes

Post by 1977212 » December 11th, 2016, 9:37 am

My garbage can loves them.

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Re: Fireplace ashes

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » December 12th, 2016, 9:51 am

Thanks, gentlemen. I hate to see om go to waste! It's not useful on my lawn - at all - given my high pH and tightness. Probably not even for the compost pile at this point. I guess the trash can will get them :(


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Re: Fireplace ashes

Post by MorpheusPA » December 12th, 2016, 1:02 pm

https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas/10-uses-wood-ashes

You might be able to rescue some of them for use, but I'd be quite careful if adding them to gardens, compost, or water features as described. Plants, fish, and whatnot aren't going to like them all that much.

Most modern soap makers use bottled lye nowadays (I do), but some still use the old-fashioned method of soaked ashes, boiling, and sea salt. You might, if you look very hard, find one who wants your ashes. Or just throw the rest out as useless... :-)

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Re: Fireplace ashes

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » December 12th, 2016, 2:03 pm

My wife makes our own soap and detergent. She spends about 20 minutes every 3 months making soap that costs less than 1/4 of what it costs at the store - and it works better.

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Re: Fireplace ashes

Post by MorpheusPA » December 12th, 2016, 5:53 pm

Ditto. Soaps, detergents, cleaners, and so on are never purchased in this household. Your wife might be able to use those ashes if she's interested in pioneer soap making methods.

Ask her if she's discovered the magic of lard yet. It's pretty much my staple fat at this point!

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Re: Fireplace ashes

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » December 13th, 2016, 1:56 pm

Well, I'll mention it to her - she prefers to find that perfect nexus between time and money. It's a quality / efficiency and economic thing for her, not so much a hobby or (in some cases) environmental religion. Also - it helps with my youngest daughters' exhema.

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Re: Fireplace ashes

Post by bpgreen » December 13th, 2016, 8:33 pm

HoosierLawnGnome wrote:Well, I'll mention it to her - she prefers to find that perfect nexus between time and money. It's a quality / efficiency and economic thing for her, not so much a hobby or (in some cases) environmental religion. Also - it helps with my youngest daughters' exhema.
Does she ever make her own lotion? It's similar to soap making in many ways. Sometimes the color and or scents in lotion can irritate eczema. Whether she makes lotion or buys it, if you add 10% urea (but get cosmetic grade) by weight (heat and stir to dissolve) it can really help eczema. Some people report tingling or burning, but it never bothered me.

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Re: Fireplace ashes

Post by MorpheusPA » December 13th, 2016, 8:57 pm

Lard practically is the perfect nexus between time and money as well. It's incredibly cheap (tallow is comparable, both are cheaper than palm), and it sets up fast and well (although not as fast as palm does).

Warranted, I've spent years refining recipes to get the three with the exact characteristics I want, but... Lard is always my go-to for simple stuff, and a component in all the others!

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Re: Fireplace ashes

Post by bpgreen » December 14th, 2016, 11:31 pm

When I first made soap, it was with trimmings from the restaurant where I worked + canned lye from the grocery store (not sure that's there anymore). We had to let that cure for a month or so before using, IIRC.

I no longer make soap, but make lotion frequently. Here is the blog post that got me started making lotion:
http://www.wabisabibaby.com/2008/how-to ... gredients/

Here is one with a recipe that I contributed anonymously adding urea to the mix:
http://www.wabisabibaby.com/2009/findin ... condition/

I've since refined the recipe, but make it far less often, because I don't seem to need it as much. If you want the full recipe I now use, let me know.

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Re: Fireplace ashes

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » December 15th, 2016, 10:47 am

She hasn't made her own lotion, no. She loves the Pioneer Woman blog. Right now she's a bit busy with the holiday season, so I don't dare bring up something that may be perceived as a "task" :lol:

Lotion may be helpful. We buy really expensive lotions for the eczema, I'd love to save even more $$.

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