Why potato peelings are burned in the oven: an old village trick
The stove is the heart of the house. Without it there will be neither warmth nor comfort. Therefore, it is very important to service it in a timely manner and maintain it in working order; ensure uniform heating and sufficiently powerful traction so that carbon monoxide gases do not enter the room. In order to significantly facilitate the care of ovens operating on wood, coal, briquettes, etc., there are tricks that people have been using for a very long time. We will tell you about one such village method.
Potato peelings are the best prevention against soot build-up in the chimney
It is high time to recognize peelings from potatoes not as waste, but as an extremely useful organic mass, which is used as fertilizer, feed and... a means for cleaning chimneys! That's right - potato peelings are the best prophylaxis to prevent the pipe from clogging up with soot.
The fact is that potatoes contain a considerable amount of starch (on average, 18% of the mass). And starch, in turn, softens soot and breaks down creosote - these combustion products accumulate in the chimney and impair draft. So, under the influence of starch vapors, the structure of these substances is disturbed, and the carbon deposit, consisting of the aforementioned soot and creosote, falls off in pieces.
Thus, the chimney is dry cleaned, that is, without the use of mechanical devices - a brush, etc. This is very convenient, since this method does not require any labor costs at all. Well, unless you count peeling potatoes!
How to use?
The method is simple to use: about once a week, you need to burn 1.5-3 kilograms of potato peelings in the oven. They can be used both raw and dried. All that is needed is to throw them on well-burnt wood or coals. The rest will be done by starch vapors.
But this is prevention, and if the chimney is already seriously clogged, then it is necessary to collect 4–6 kilograms of dry potato peelings and also lay them in one batch on the burnt firewood.
Another way when a large amount of soot accumulates in the chimney is to use the starch itself. It is necessary to mix 300 grams of powdered starch with ⅓ part of a bucket of sawdust and burn this mixture in the firebox. This method, in contrast to the use of potato peelings, requires little financial costs, but it works much more efficiently due to the increased concentration of starch vapors.