How to Make Homemade Compost From Household Items

Household Compost Items

As we learn more about composting, we find that there is an awful lot of stuff to compost that were not originally thought of as being compost-worthy. There are many household items that you can use in your compost pile to make loamy dark dirt.

Things You'll Need

• Kitchen scraps
• Paper products
• Natural fiber clothes
• Wood ashes

Instructions

1. Find an inconspicuous spot to start your compost pile. It does not usually have any odors, but unless you build an attractive bin, it can be unsightly. Compost does well in the heat of the sun as long as it is not too drying. Partly shaded areas seem to do best. It does benefit from rain as it needs moisture to decompose the dry matter, so there is no need to cover it.

2. Collect composting items in you house to get it going. Keep a bowl by your kitchen sink to collect coffee grounds, banana peels, vegetable and fruit skins. Napkins and cardboard egg cartons can be moistened and thrown in.

3. Keep a composting trash can for anything that will rot within a reasonable amount of time. Newspapers, boxes, junk mail (non plastic) paper bags, old cotton sheets, wool socks, linen tablecloths, dryer lint, wood ashes are all good examples. Things that would normally go into the trash can be composted into dirt.

4. Start looking around your yard for things that you can compost. Leaves, grass, weeds, wood chips, sawdust all are great for adding into the compost.

5. Keep the pile about 3 cubic feet to generate enough heat to get the decomposition going. Make sure it gets enough moisture and stir it up every few weeks for a faster compost turnover.

Tips & Warnings

• Break things down into small pieces to help keep the pile manageable.

• If you are adding items like newspaper to your compost, you should save the finished product for nonfood plants to avoid ingesting the chemicals used in making the ink.