History

• The use of wood goes back to the ancient Rome, where scientists of the day found that it could improve land. The 1790s saw a high demand for wood ash because it contains the potassium needed for fertilizer.
  
  

Gardening

• Bordering a garden with wood ash helps repel snails and slugs, according to GreenLivingTips.com. Gardeners can also improve their compost by mixing in some wood ash.
  
  

Cleaning

• Combining water and wood ash results in lye. This turns into an effective soap when animal fat is added, according to This Old House.
  
  

Traction

• Wood ash proves to be a much more environmentally friendly way to melt ice on a road or provide traction for cars.
  
  

Tips

• People who need a lot of wood ash should burn hardwoods, which produces three times the ash and contain five times the nutrients of soft lumber.