We are often surprised to hear that people are annoyed by sawdust. And seeing how tiresome it is to clean it, you might feel included in throwing it away. But wait. Before you do that, learn how useful sawdust can be, and we are sure you’ll think twice before you get rid of it. Here are six surprising ways you can use sawdust.
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Surprising Ways You Can Use Sawdust
Sawdust is nothing more than little bits of wood. It is a byproduct of cutting wood, regardless of which tool you use for the job. As such, they retain many features that wood has while bringing some of their own. You’ll soon see that sawdust is a valuable tool for farm life and that there is a good reason why people often move away from using it as heating.
Collect spills
Let’s say that you have a huge oil spill to deal with. What can you do? You can look to use a mop to clean it up. But you’ll likely fail and ruin a good mop in the process. Well, the first of the surprising ways you can use sawdust is to collect spills. As you might know, wood is absorbent. And this power of absorption translates terrifically to sawdust. If you have a nasty spill, simply sprinkle some sawdust over it. After 15-20 minutes, it should absorb a fair bit. Cleaning that sawdust up will be far more accessible than cleaning up the spill. And, if the first sprinkling doesn’t do the trick, repeat the process.
Start a fire
Need to start a fire? Then don’t waste your money on firestarters. Instead, put some sawdust at the base of your fire, and then place smaller twigs and branches over it. If the sawdust is dry, it will catch fire like nothing. And seeing that it is wood, it will retain that fire for much longer than paper or cardboard wood.
Fill holes in wood
Fixing holes and cracks in furniture can often be costly. Especially if you also need to haul the furniture to the professional. Well, if you have sawdust from the same wood your furniture is of, you don’t have to worry about cracks and holes. Simply combine sawdust with wood glue until you get a putty. All you have to do then is to apply the patty to the whole or crack you wish to fill, and presto. Perfect fix.
The only trouble here is if you can find sawdust from the same type of wood. If you cannot, it might be challenging to make your fix look natural. Instead, try to look for professional advice on how to get the right wood tone.
Gardening
One of the more surprising ways you can use sawdust is as an aid in gardening. As it turns out, sawdust can be beneficial in maintaining and growing a garden. The first is that it can help with growing mushrooms. Some mushrooms only grow on trees. And if you combine sawdust and compost, you will mimic the natural environment of these mushrooms.
Another use of sawdust in gardening is as mulch. Since sawdust is great at absorbing moisture, it can also aid you in retaining it. The only thing you need to do beforehand is to add a nitrogen component to sawdust before using it. A good mixture is 1 part nitrogen for every 50 parts of sawdust (1:50).
Finally, remember that sawdust (especially walnut) is a natural weed killer. If you’ve maintained your garden for a long time, you likely already know how big of a problem weeds can be. So, instead of using expensive and possibly dangerous toxins, why not opt for sawdust?
Some might be concerned that sawdust will ruin the look of their garden. But this doesn’t have to be so. In fact, with some clever design choices, sawdust can even improve your garden. By combining it with artificial glass, you can get some easy but effective ideas for garden design. And if you add other wooden elements, we are sure that your garden will look stellar.
Pets
If you are a pet owner, you may want to hold on to some sawdust as a valuable tool. Firstly, sawdust is easy to clean up. As such, you can consider using it as kitty litter. Yes, there is a chance that your cat might not like it. But seeing how much cheaper sawdust is than kitty litter, we feel it is worth a try.
Another option is to put it on the bottom of a cage for smaller pets. Hamsters, gerbils, and mice all love sawdust, especially if it is fresh. Another helpful way to use sawdust is as a cleaning agent. Simply sprinkle it over your pet’s mess, and you will have a much easier time cleaning it up.
Aid on slippery roads
Seeing that winter is around the corner, it might be valuable to keep in mind that sawdust can help in traction. If you put some on snow or ice, it will help significantly in creating traction for your vehicle. Combine it with some ash, and you will have no trouble keeping your driveway free of slippery surfaces. Experienced drivers often advise carrying a bit of sawdust with them when driving in winter. After all, you can never know when you will need some traction.
Conclusion
While there are other surprising ways to use sawdust, these show how versatile it can be. From making your garden healthy and more diverse. To help you clean and take care of your pets. And if you organize your tool shed, you should have little trouble storing it. Carrying a bit of sawdust with you is a neat trick, as you can both start a fire and give traction to your car. So, all in all, we hope you will think again before you throw away your sawdust, and first consider how you might use it to make your life easier.