Ways You Can Use Coffee Grounds

Anyone with a healthy coffee making habit will find himself or herself with a lot of used coffee grounds by the end of each week. Though the grounds have done their job in giving us our delicious java, some of us still find them too precious to just throw away. So one begins to think Are there are other ways to use them? Well in fact, there are and I’m pretty sure you, your kitchen, and your garden will love them.

Dishwashing

When it comes to washing tough-to-clean dishes, pots, and pans, some sponges may seem to mild while their steel wool counterparts can be too harsh. Coffee grounds on the other hand sits right in the middle, providing coarseness without being too abrasive. To use as dishwashing aid, add used coffee grounds to a cleaning cloth and gather them in the center, scoop up the corners of the cloth and twist around the mound of coffee grounds and secure with a rubber band. Now you have the perfect scrubber.

Exfoliating

Used coffee grounds also make a fantastic exfoliant because of its texture. Just as you would with sugar and salt scrubs, mix coffee grounds with olive oil and scrub away! As a bonus, coffee grounds have also earned a reputation for getting rid of cellulite if used as a scrub so you may want to use it on your body, too.

Furniture repair

Oddly, though coffee grounds are used to scrub pots and pans and exfoliate skin, they are apparently great for mending scratches on wooden furniture. Mix your coffee grounds with warm water and vinegar and steep for an hour to create a stain. Rub stain on scratches using tissue or cloth. Voila! Your wooden table is as good as new!

Fridge deodorizer

After coffee has made your kitchen smell amazing, you can stick the used grounds into your fridge to absorb bad odor.

Compost

What if I need to deal with the filter too? The great thing about coffee filters is that they are compostable like the coffee grounds they filter. Coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen which makes them ideal for composting. The best ratio for composting coffee grounds is one part leaves, one part fresh grass clippings, and one part coffee grounds. Make sure the coffee grounds have broken down before using the compost in your garden.

Waste tip:

For the least wastage, it’s best to use a French press since you will only be left with coffee grounds to deal with. Other coffee making methods like the pourover and Aeropress will leave you with filters as well (though you already know what to do with that). The method that produces the most wastage is of course, the use of Keurig and the likes.