Use Leftover Fireplace Ash To Absorb Odors & Leave Your Trash Can Smelling Fresh

Try as you might to keep your kitchen and bathroom trash cans smelling fresh, they can be tough to deodorize, especially if they are in high-traffic areas. From pet accident clean-ups to lingering cooking smells, trash cans can hold onto unwanted odors for longer than we might like. While you can find scented trash cans and deodorizers at your local grocery and home improvement stores, sometimes these chemical-based products can just make the smells worse. If you want to opt for a natural way to freshen up your home, look no further than reusing the leftover ashes in your fireplace to clean and deodorize your trash can. 

While you may assume that leftover fireplace ashes should be thrown out, there are actually tons of ways to use them around your home, from using fireplace ashes to repel pests to adding them to your compost as a potassium boost. Most notably, ashes help deodorize smelly areas thanks to their alkalinity, which is the ability to neutralize acids, and their ability to absorb moisture. The latter characteristic helps fireplace ash cling to moisture, which is especially helpful when there is an unwanted trash can odor involved. The next time you have a smelly trash can, you can grab some leftover ashes and sprinkle them in. 

Similar to how you can use baking soda to deodorize your carpet or refresh your refrigerator, you can use your leftover fireplace ashes to stave off pesky odors from your trash cans. Whether you have an indoor fireplace or an outdoor fire pit, you can gather your fireplace ashes once they are completely cooled to avoid injuring yourself. It's often recommended to use gloves, as sometimes hot coals can still be hidden underneath. Store your wood ashes in a tightly closed, fireproof container. 

To target trash can smells, you can sprinkle your leftover ash into the bottom of the container. This makes it easy to place a trash bag liner on top. If you don't want to spread ash directly onto the bottom of your trash cans, you can use a small bowl instead. That way, it's easier to clean up, and you can quickly replace the ash when needed. It's recommended to replace the ash regularly, specifically if it is kept in a humid area. If you want to use your ashes to deodorize an entire area where you keep your garbage cans, like your garage or bathroom, you can simply fill a container with a breathable lid with ashes, and leave it on the floor.