Do you find yourself with excess charcoal at the end of barbecue season? Well, you don’t have to toss it out. Those charcoal briquettes have plenty of practical uses from sucking up nasty odors to fixing your furniture.
Here are some of the best ways to use charcoal around your home.
Prevent Tools From Rusting
Prevent your tools from rusting by placing a few briquettes into your tool box. This will absorb all the moisture and prevent the metal from oxidizing.
Get Rid of Pesticides
If you put too much organic pesticide into your garden you can remove it by mixing 1 pound of charcoal with 1 gallon of water and put the solution into a spray bottle. Use it to mist your soil. You can also spray this on your soil to get rid of any chemicals that may have been used on the soil in the past.
Help Your Orchids Grow
Your potted orchids love the alkaline in charcoal. Mix some of it into whatever you pot your plant with.
Prevent Rock Salt and Sand From Clumping
Place a few lumps of charcoal into your bag of rock salt or sand. This will soak up moisture and prevent your deicers from freezing or clumping up.
De-Rust Cast Iron
Place your cast iron pots and pans over a charcoal grill and let the rust burn off.
Extend the Life of Fresh Flowers
Place a piece of charcoal at the bottom of your vase and underneath your stems to clean and extend the life of your cut flowers.
Preserve Linens, Books, and Other Items
Place some charcoal in the same container as books, photos, clothing, linens, or quilts to preserve them by preventing mold and mildew.
Mulch
Break up some charcoal briquettes into pieces that are 1 inch in diameter. Spread them on your flower beds or bushes to prevent weed growth and help keep your soil moist.
Freshen the Air
You can place charcoal in a bowl or perforated plastic bag to keep your refrigerator or drawers free from odor.
Use It As Chalk
Out of sidewalk chalk? You can improvise and use some charcoal instead.
Make a Water Filter
You don’t have to pay a ton of money for a fancy water filter. You can make one with charcoal by watching the tutorial below.
Temporarily Fix Dark Wood
If you have a nick or scratch in your dark wood furniture or floors, rub some charcoal on it to fill in the scratch until you can make a permanent repair.
Make a Snowman’s Face
You know how the song about Frosty the Snowman goes, “and two eyes made out of coal.” Well, you can also give your snowman a smile or some buttons made from charcoal.
Make Your Vodka Taste Better
You can make your cheap vodka taste a lot better by using some charcoal. Learn how below.
Feed Your Compost
Keep your compost healthy so that it will eventually nourish your garden by placing some charcoal in it. This will boost its carbon content and reduce the amount of ammonia in it.
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