Coffee has more to it than just perking up your mornings. If you brew your coffee, this one here is for you. Don’t toss away your coffee grounds after brewing your coffee. Here is how you can use your unused coffee grounds.
1. Unused Coffee Grounds for Your Garden
Usually, plants in your garden absorb all the nutrients in the soil, leaving it depleted. This explains why you fertilize your soil after some time. The soil needs the nutrients for your plants to grow. Here are ways how coffee grounds are great for your garden.
- Coffee grounds contain nutrients such as calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium. These nutrients are necessary for plant growth.
- Coffee grounds are also rich in nitrogen that is necessary for compost piles. The nitrogen in the coffee grounds will help maintain the contents of your compost pile such as the heat and moisture.
- Nitrogen present in the coffee grounds also helps fertilize roses.
- Coffee grounds attract worms to your garden. The worms help by providing your garden with nutrients. Excretions made by the earthworms in your garden will provide the nutrients.
- The worms in your garden also make tunnels in the soil. This allows aeration of the soil.
- Coffee grounds in your garden improve the drainage of your soil.
- Fresh coffee grounds increase the acidity of your soil that is necessary for the growth of blueberries, citrus fruits, and cranberries.
- Coffee grounds help in repelling pests such as slugs, snails, and ants. These pests can destroy your plants by chewing them up. However, these pests don’t love coffee grounds, and that’s why coffee grounds act as a good repellent.
2. You Can Use Your Unused Coffee Grounds to Exfoliate Your Skin
The sand-like texture of your coffee grounds makes them great for exfoliating your skin. You can make body and face scrubs using your coffee grounds. The coffee grounds are responsible for removing dead cells, good blood circulation, and tightening your skin. Here is a DIY coffee ground scrub for your face and body.
Requirements
- 1/2 cup fresh/ dry-used coffee grounds
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil/ almond oil.
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Procedure
- Mix the coffee grounds and brown sugar in a bowl.
- Pour the oil into the mixture.
- Rub the mixture gently over your face and body for 10 minutes.
- Leave the scrub for 5 minutes.
- Rinse off the scrub thoroughly.
Coconut oil will moisturize your skin.
Coffee grounds and brown sugar will remove the dead skin cells.
Almond oil will keep your skin bright and eliminate any dark spots.
3. You Can Use Your Unused Coffee Grounds as a Dye
Your Unused coffee grounds can act as your natural dye. You can use the natural dye on your cotton, linens, to dye your hair, rayon, and any other thing you need to stain.
This type of dye is inexpensive, non-toxic, and can serve as an alternative to traditional dyes. This natural dye is created by rewetting your coffee grounds. Wash and rinse the dyed item using cold water before wearing, sewing, or knitting it.
4. You Can Use Your Unused Coffee Grounds to Eliminate Odors
Coffee grounds are used to eliminate or neutralize odors. Here is how you can use your coffee grounds to eliminate odors.
- Simply place a container of coffee grounds in your fridge or freezer to remove the foul smell of spoiled food.
- Coffee grounds contain nitrogen that is responsible for eliminating odor in the air. The cause of the odor is a combination of Sulphur and carbon gas.
- You can make some portable air fresheners using old socks. Make some balls using your old socks and coffee grounds and place them anywhere that needs deodorization. It can be in your car, handbag, or shoes.
- Use coffee grounds to remove unnecessary smells in your hands such as that of onions and Garlic. You can do this by scrubbing your hands using the coffee grounds.
5. You Can Use Your Unused Coffee Grounds as a Detergent
Coffee grounds are used as a natural detergent. Coffee grounds are abrasive, and you can use them to:
- Remove grease and oils from your pans, grill, cookware, and pots. However, do not use the coffee grounds on your porous items as the coffee grounds can stain them.
- Scrub your sink. However, don’t pour the grounds into your sink. They can lead to blocking of the sink and pipe.
- Help remove dirt from the hard-to-clean surfaces.
6. You Can Use Your Unused Coffee Grounds to Wash Your Fireplace
Cleaning your fireplace can be messy due to the ash. Spreading your coffee grounds over the ash will help you reduce it, making it easy for you to wash your fireplace. This also helps prevent dust from filling the house.
7. You Can Use Your Unused Coffee Grounds for Your Cooking Purposes
You can use your coffee grounds to:
- Tenderize Your Meat
The enzymes and acids present in your coffee grounds will help tenderize your meat and add flavor to it. To tenderize meat, using coffee grounds you;
Mix your grounds with your other marination ingredients. Rub the ingredients on your meat. Marinate your meat for 2 hours, then cook it.
You can also brew your grounds to get coffee, then use it to marinate your meat for 24 hours in your refrigerator. The many enzymes in your coffee will tenderize your meat.
- Make Desserts
You can use your coffee grounds to add a touch to your desserts like ice creams, cookies, and cakes.
8. You Can Use Your Unused Coffee Grounds on Your Hair
Coffee grounds are used for exfoliating the dead cells on your skin. They also remove residue left by the hair shampoos and styling products.
The caffeine present on the coffee grounds stimulates the growth of your hair and increases the flow of blood in your scalp. Increased blood flow also promotes hair growth.
Before you shampoo your hair, gently rub your hair for a few minutes using coffee grounds to remove residue shampoo and hair products present in your hair.
Are you worried about losing hair due to coffee? Check out ‘Does Coffee Cause Hair Loss?‘.
9. You Can Use Your Unused Coffee Grounds to Mask Scratches in Wood
If you have scratches on your wood, before considering shopping for toxic, expensive, and difficult to use materials, try out using coffee grounds to mask the scratches.
Simply add some water to your coffee grounds and make a thick paste. Then take your cotton swab and gently rub your paste on the scratched area. Wait for 10 minutes, then wipe the surface using a rag.
10. Unused Coffee Grounds are Used to Grow Mushroom
Mushrooms are expensive to buy and difficult to grow. However, coffee grounds have the necessary nutrients required for the growth of mushrooms. This is how you grow your mushroom using coffee grounds.
Requirements
- 5-gallon Container
- 1/2 container of coffee grounds
- Mushroom spawn
- Spray bottle
- Plastic wrap
Procedure
- Use your spray bottle to moisten the coffee grounds.
- Mix your mushroom spores with your coffee grounds and sawdust in a large bucket.
- Make some holes in the bucket to allow air entry.
- You can cover the bucket with plastic wrap. Make some holes on the wrap. The wrap is necessary to avoid direct sunlight and keeps moisture in the bucket.
- Remove the plastic wrap immediately after your mushroom sprout.
- Spray your mushrooms with water twice a day.
11. Unused Coffee Grounds are Used to Get Rid of Under-Eye Circles
Under-eye circles cause is poor circulation of blood, fragile blood vessels, and sagging skin.
Coffee grounds help get rid of the under-eye circles thanks to the caffeine and antioxidants present.
Caffeine in the coffee grounds helps improve blood circulation in the skin. This reduces the puffiness found under your eyes.
Antioxidants in the coffee grounds help fight radicals that are the cause of skin aging.
How to Get Rid of Under-Eye Circles Using Coffee Grounds
Requirements
A tablespoon of coffee grounds
A teaspoon honey
Few drops of vitamin E oil
Procedure
- Mix all the ingredients to form a paste
- Gently apply the paste under your eyes.
- Wait for 15 minutes.
- Wash off the paste.
12. Unused Coffee Grounds are Used to Keep Off Fleas from Your Pet
Treating fleas from your household pet can be expensive and time-consuming. However, you can use your coffee grounds to get rid of them. Fleas do not like coffee. Therefore, they will keep off your pets.
Simply rub your coffee grounds on your pet after shampooing them. Rinse them and allow them to dry. This will keep fleas from your pet and make their fur smooth and shiny.
13. Unused Coffee Grounds are Used to Bloom Your Blues
Some flowers change their color due to increased PH in the soil. When you add your grounds to the soil, this lowers the PH level of the soil. This will give you some bright blue flowers.
With all the ideas listed on how you can re-use your coffee grounds, consider applying any of them and avoid throwing away your coffee grounds.
