Save Your Sawdust for These Household Tricks

DIY woodworking projects can be challenging (depending on your skill level), but also quite rewarding – as a result, you can create a real physical thing that you made yourself. But cutting, screwing, sawing, sanding, and drilling can also lead to something else: a giant mess.

No matter how carefully you sweep, sawdust always seems to remain. But instead of dumping them, you can save some sawdust and use it for some of these home hackers, courtesy of Donna Boyle Schwartz of BobVila.com .

Make your own footprint

Transform your yard into a mini-park with its own paths – all thanks to sawdust. When sawdust is strategically scattered in your garden or forest area, it can create a natural pathway while reducing soil erosion and preventing weeds from emerging, Schwartz writes . Bonus: scatter sawdust on slippery sidewalks in winter to improve traction.

Throw away the paint safely

Getting rid of paint is not easy. Never dump paint down the drain, Schwartz said, and most city and local authorities do not allow residents to throw paint in the trash. That is, unless you fill the rest of the paint can with sawdust and let it stand until it hardens. Then you can throw the whole basket into the trash without contaminating everything.

Fill cracks and crevices in wood

If you have holes, cracks, or gouges in your woodwork, use this trick from a floor renovator and fill it up with sawdust. Here’s what to do, according to Schwartz:

Make some sawdust out of the wood you want to patch up and then grind to a smooth flour consistency. Mix sawdust with wood glue to make a putty and use it to fill in damaged areas. The color of the putty with your own hands will exactly match the wood.

Plant some mushrooms

If you are into gardening and growing your own fruits and vegetables, you may have considered adding mushrooms to your crop list. According to Schwartz, mushrooms love wood – which is why you see them growing on fallen logs and fallen strands in the wild. Bring them wood to your garden by creating a mushroom bed with sawdust and organic compost and keeping it moist.

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