Wood ash – the powdery substance remaining after you burn wood – is actually pretty useful around your home and garden.

All these years we’ve been tossing the remains from our fire pit and fireplace, but we’ll certainly be saving that ash for some of these applications.

Instead of simply disposing of all that leftover ash, try some of these 30 alternative uses. From silver polish to pest control, you might be surprised by just how many random things wood ash is good for.