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uses for wood ash and charcoal

3K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  NectarNook 
#1 ·
#2 ·
I have been using wood ash for a very long time now, as a general cleanser/soap. I got the idea from Herbal Pagan who used to post here, and on the SHTFM forum.

On SHTFM, she had a huge long soap making thread going. That is where I discovered you can get lye, to make soap, by soaking wood ash in water over night.

So my thought, was to try and simplify the entire thing down to an easy procedure to use while camping.

I ended up with a simple system where I fill a 16oz plastic bottle 3/4 up with ash from the fire, then top it off with water, so there is just a little bit more than the ash. Then I let that sit over night to separate the lye out.

Once the lye is out of the flakes of ash, I simply stir it back into the mix and make a paste. The result is a slightly coarse cleanser, with the constancy, and grittiness of Comet Kitchen cleanser. It performs in a very similar manner as well.

I clean everything but my teeth with it. This includes washing my hair (although it does over strip the oils from it.)
 
#4 ·
You beat me to the soap answer, kudos. I currently own a natural soap and skin care business (my own start up, not Avon/etc.) and I've been wanting to try this method for some time. It seems so much easier than the current modern method of Cold Process soap, and the wood ash process is surprisingly simple.

For your oil stripping issue, I recommend mixing your lye paste solution with a natural oil (Coconut or Almond are cheap!) and or use rendered animal fat if you really want to go "old school" or as realistically close to a post SHTF scenario as possible.

Thanks for sharing about your lye solution!
 
#5 ·
I'll be honest, didn't watch the video (at work currently) but one commonly missed, and surprisingly simple, use for charcoal is a quick water filter if you grind up the charcoal in a hankerchief and then run some water through it into a container. Not as effective as boiling or other proper sanitation methods, but it helps in a pinch!

Also great for composting (in small quantities, it raises the pH) if you use 100% natural charcoal/ash, don't use the synthetic additive briquettes (sp?) You can never have too much compost, and what better renewable food source is there than home grown produce?
 
#8 ·
I can't get the video to load right now, but I use our ashes for cleaning glass. It's great for scrubbing residue off of old canning jars that you pick up at sales. It works to clean my glass top stove without scratching it, too - gets even the most stuck on bits off cleanly, leaving it looking brand spankin new every time. I use it to clean windows on the house, and the window in our wood stove. I use it in the garden to add biochar to my soil. I use it in the driveway because we live on a 12% grade, curved hill that is hell to get up in the winter time once the ice hits - it gives my tires traction AND helps melt the ice faster.

I'll have to come back and try the video later if I remember. Always good to learn new things.
 
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