Fire pits are simply amazing, they provide warmth during cold nights, they can completely change the aspect of any backyard, and they are a fun place to spend the nights with your friends and family. But they do have one pretty annoying disadvantage, they produce a lot of ash that you have to constantly throw out. But what if you could transform that disadvantage into an advantage?
Ash from the fire pit can be used:
- As fertilizer
- Adjust the PH of the garden
- As a pesticide
- To clean the house
- To get better traction on snow
- To melt ice
- To put fires out
But before we go into further details on the things that you can do with the ash, first let’s see how you can safely remove it from the fire pit, without making a mess, burning yourself, or seeing anything on fire.
Table of Contents
How to Safely Remove Ash From a Fire Pit
Even if the fire pit hasn’t been lit up for a few days there can be a lot of hot embers that remain at the base of the ash pile, so it’s important to proceed with caution.
So start by getting a pair of heat resistant gloves, and getting a small shovel and a metal bucket, or any kind of metal container.
One other optional piece of equipment is a face mask that will stop the small particles from entering your nose or your mouth.
The first thing you should do before putting the gloves on is to place your hand very closely to the ash and see if you can feel any heat coming from it, if you feel even the slightest hint of heat then you surely have some hot embers under the ash.
Now use the shovel to bring the ash from the bottom to the top, this way you will see if there are any hot embers left. After you do this a few times take one of your gloves off and see if you can feel any heat. If you don’t feel anything and there are no embers to be seen then you can proceed and use the ash as you wish.
If you feel any heat coming or you find some embers you can either let them in the fire pit to cool off for another day or two, throw some water on them and leave them to dry, or place them in the bucket and them palace the bucket in a container filled with water, this way they will cool down faster.
Now that the ash is completely cooled off let’s see what you can do with it.
Using Ash as Fertilizer
One of the most common uses for ash is as a garden fertilizer.
Fire pit ashes contain a lot of valuable nutrients like calcium, potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus. Basically everything that a plant needs to grow big and healthy fast.
There are a few ways you can add the ash to your garden, the first and most obvious one is to simply sprinkle it at the base of your plants, but this is not necessarily the most efficient way since it can easily get blown away by the wind.
Instead you could make a mix of water and ash. I usually mix one pound of ash and 10 gallons of water together, and I’ve had great results. But you can use as much water and ash as you wish, the important thing is that you get the ash to stay there. Unless you completely cover the plants with ash, there isn’t anything as too much ash.
But there is an even more efficient way of doing things. And that is to mix the ash with compost. While a lot of people stay away from compost due to the smell, adding ash will actually help with the smell problem. I’m not exactly how this works but apparently ash reduces the smell of compost.
Another thing that you could do to make the ash stick to the ground is to simply sprinkle it on the ground and then quickly wet it.
Using Ash to Keep the PH of the Garden in Check
One of the other effects of ash in a garden is that it can change the PH of the soil. This can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on the plants that you have.
Some plants will benefit from a higher PH, while others won’t. Some plants will even change color based on the PH of the soil. Hydrangea flowers, for example, have a blue color when the PH is low, and a pink one when it’s high. Here is a picture showing two hydrangea flowers.
Ash will increase the PH of the soil, which means that you can directly apply it on plants that benefit from a higher PH.
There is another way to use ash, and that is in combination with fertilizer. Most fertilizers will actually lower the PH of the soil, which can be good for some plants, but not for all of them. So after using the fertilizer you can simply sprinkle some ash over and keep the PH at the same level while filling it with nutrients.
Using Ash to Keep Pests Away
Another surprising thing that you can do with ash is keep pests away, this includes rodents as well as insects and limaxes.
One of the biggest advantages of ash is that it’s completely natural unlike commercial psticids. There are countless studies that have proven that using pesticides constantly can harm you, the person that applies it, as well as the environment.
Using ash to keep pests away is quite simple, you simply get a bucket filled with ash and add some water and mix until you obtain a paste. Now simply apply the paste around the garden beds, around the house, or wherever you need.
I know that the first thought when hearing this is that the ash won’t last for that long, but the same goes for commercial solutions. After the first rain everything will wash away. So if you think about it ash will resist just as much.
If your plants are crawling with insects you can take a spray bottle, add one spoon of ash, squeeze one half of lemon and fill the bottle with water, mix everything very well, and spray the plants with this mix. The insects should leave your plants alone in no time.
While not exactly a pest, ash can also help you get rid of algae. Just a single teaspoon of ash should be enough for a 1000 gallons pond.
Using Ash to Clean the House
Probably the most unexpected point on this list. But as seeing that toothpaste with charcoal is a thing, I wouldn’t be surprised that ash can be used to clean the house.
But before trying to use ash to clean stuff around the house remember that you need really fine ash. So you might want to use a sieve to separate the fine ash from the rougher pieces of wood that haven’t completely turned into ash.
The first thing that you can clean with ash are windows. To do this simply fill half a bottle with ash and then add some water and start shaking as much as you can. You want to obtain a fine paste.
Now simply apply the paste on a cloth and start rubbing it on the window, after all the saints are gone, rinse the cloth with water and remove the excess ash from the window. After doing this a couple of times you should be left with a completely spotless window.
The next thing that you can do with ash is to remove spilled oil from the floor. If you ever spilled oil on the floor you probably know that if you only use water you will have to spend at least a couple of hours to get rid of all the oil. But if you were to throw some ash over the oil, you would finish cleaning up in 10 minutes. The ash will absorb all the oil, and instead of rubbing the floor for hours you will just have to clean the ash with a broom and throw it out.
Ash can also be used to get rid of mold. Mold is usually caused by excess humidity. But luckily ash can get you rid of excess humidity. Simply place a jar or a bigger cup filled with ash in the area with mold, and the ash will absorb all of the excess humidity.
Ash can also help you get rid of bad smells. This is closely related to the last use. Bad smells are caused by fine particles in the air. So if you place a jar with ash in the kitchen, in the fridge or in a basement, the ash will start absorbing all the bad smells.
Using Ash to Get Better Traction on Snow
One other thing that you can do with the ash from a fire pit is to sprinkle it on top of the snow so you can get better traction with your car.
Just make sure that you don’t use too much ash since it will stay there for a while.
Using Ash to Melt Ice
Ash can also be used to melt ice. The natural minerals in ash work the same way as salt does to melt ice on driveways and walkways. Be careful using it near your front door though, tracking ash into the house makes a big mess.
Every winter I use ash to melt the ice in front of the walkway, and after the ice has melted I quickly sweep it to the side so that nobody tracks it in the house.
Using Ash to Put Fires Out
For the last use we will return to the place we started, and that is the fire pit.
Ash is what remains from wood after it completely burned. So ash can’t burn any more. This makes it perfect for putting fires out. Just remember that while the flames might be out, there will be some hot embers under the ash, which will stay that way for a while.
Final Thoughts
Ash has a surprising amount of uses, it can be used in the garden, in the house, it can clean stains, it can melt ice and put fires out. So from now on you shouldn’t throw away the ash that remains in your fire pit, instead you could put it to good use in your house or in your garden.
In the end of the article I will leave you with some of the most common questions and problems that people are faced with when owning a fire pit. Hopefully this will help you avoid some of the biggest mistakes people make when owning a fire pit, and save you some money.
Common Questions
How do I prevent rust from appearing on my fire pit? In order to prevent rust you can:
- Move the fire pit in a dry room, or any place with a roof should prevent most rust from appearing.
- Cover your fire pit using a metal or wooden lid, or a synthetic cover. But make sure that the fire pit has cooled off before you cover it.
- Removing the ash from the fire pit is also very important, as ash absorbs a lot of humidity from the air.
- The most important thing that you can do is to regularly clean and inspect the fire pit.
How do I remove rust from a fire pit? To remove rust from a fire pit you can use:
- Vinegar
- Lemon juice
- Soft drinks
- Baking soda
- Potatoes
- A mix of them
- Commercial products like: WD-40 and CLR
After you remove the rust you should get some Sandpaper, Spray Sealant, Spray Paint. After that you should remove all the paint using a coarse grit sandpaper, then use a finer sandpaper and remove all scratches. Apply a thin coat of sealant, after it dries apply the pain, and then another coat of sealant. Make sure that you try to make the coatings as even as possible, otherwise the paint will come off.
How long do fire pits last? A fire pit can last anywhere from one year to a lifetime. It all depends on how well you maintain it.
In the case of wood burning fire one of the most important things that matter is what you are burning. Things like magazines contain chemicals that can damage the fire pit. Wood that has been painted or treated in any way will also damage the fire pit. So only burning firewood will increase the lifespan of your firepit.
Removing the ashes is also very important. Ashes absorb humidity from the air, so letting them sit in the fire pit for long periods of time is like having your fire pit filled with water.
In the case of gas fire pits it’s extremely important to dust them off. Dust doesn’t only leave an unpleasant smell but over time it can damage the interior of the fire pit.
For both types of fire pits it is also extremely important how you store them, leaving them uncovered year round, will drastically reduce their lifespan.
What is the best wood for a fire pit? The best wood for a fire pit is hardwood, which one you choose is up to you. If you choose one from this list you shouldn’t go wrong:
- Oak
- Ash
- Mapl
- Walnut
- Mahogany
- Hickory
- Beech
Just make sure that the wood you choose is seasoned and not green, if you get green wood you will have to leave it to season for at least 6 months.
While softwood is not a great choice for a fire pit, it can be a great addition as you can use it to light the fire or add pleasant smell.
And remember to stay away from driftwood, construction wood, wood with things grown on it and vines.
How can I successfully start a fire pit every time? Every successful fire is built using 3 layers:
- Tinder – burns quickly and ignites the kindling
- Kindling – the middle layer that will will get ignited by the tinder, and will help
- Firewood – the wood that maintains the fire
The tinder is what will start the hole fire up. As tinder you can use newspaper, tree bark
fatwood or leaves. The tinder doesn’t have to burn for long periods of time. It just has to burn long enough to light the kindling.
The kindling is the part that makes or breaks the fire. Most unsuccessful fires don’t light up because they lack kindling. Softwood is usually a good choice for kindling, some of the best and most common options are: Pine, Poplar, Cedar and Spruce.
Tinder on it’s own doesn’t have the ability to light the firewood, this is why you want to use kindling which can light up firewood, but can’t maintain a fire pit on its own.
Firewood is what you use to maintain the fire in the fire pit. Hardwood is the best choice for firewood. Just make sure that what you are getting is seasoned wood, not green wood. Green wood is wood that has been recently cut, so it still has a lot of moisture inside of it. Seasoned wood has been chopped up and left to dry for 6 to 12 months, which makes it perfect for any fire.