Practical uses for sawdust and wood shavings…

Sawdust and wood shavings are highly absorbent and improves the hygiene of livestock or pet enclosure by keeping it dry.   This is the most common purpose for Jackson’s sawdust and wood shavings along with animal bedding and litter boxes.

However, here are the top 10 applications for sawdust or wood shavings:

1. Make fake snow. Mix sawdust with white paint and glue to cover holiday crafts with simulated snow. (This one is for fun!)

2. Get a grip. Plant operators spread sawdust on their truck/vehicle paths. It provides traction and strengthens the surface while protecting the ground underneath.

3. Soak up spills. Keep a bucket handy for accidents. Sawdust is highly absorbent and can quickly contain spills of oil or paint.

4. Feed your plants. Sawdust mixed with manure or a nitrogen supplement keeps your plants healthy and moist, too.

5. Make a fire starter. Melt candle wax in a nonstick pot, add sawdust until the liquid thickens, pour into an empty egg carton, and let cool. Use the briquettes to help get a fire going.

6. Fill wood holes and defects. Used by professional floor refinishers, very fine sawdust or “wood flour” makes an excellent, stainable filler when mixed into a putty with wood glue.

7. Pack a path. Tamp sawdust into a dirt walkway to curtail erosion and create a soft, fragrant pathway through your garden or wooded lot.

8. Chase away weeds. Sawdust is a natural weed killer. Sweep this variety between the cracks of your walkway.

9. Lighten up cement. Sawdust mixed into mortar has long been used when erecting cordwood walls to aid in bonding woods together.

10. Clean a floor. Moisten a pile of sawdust with water and use a push broom to sweep it around the concrete floor of your garage, basement, or shop. The wet sawdust will capture and absorb fine dust and grime.