Introduction
Coffee grounds are one of the most versatile, underappreciated kitchen ingredients. They’re also pretty cheap and easy to get, so you don’t need to worry about wasting money if you mess up while experimenting with them.
In this post, I’ll show you nine ways to reuse coffee grounds—everything from cleaning your home to making beauty products!
Coffee grounds are more useful than you think
You may not know it, but coffee grounds are actually more useful than you think. They are a natural fertilizer, so they’re great for composting. They also make a great exfoliant for your skin and can be used to repel pests in the garden. When you brew your next pot of coffee, don’t throw away those used grounds!
Here are nine ways to reuse them:
Make a facial scrub
If you want to make your own facial scrub, all you need is a handful of coffee grounds, coconut oil and baking soda. Mix the ingredients together until they form a paste and apply it to your face while wet. Leave this on for 10 minutes before rinsing off with warm water. If you want to use this as a body scrub, simply add some essential oils or perfume oils to boost the scent!
You can also use them as an exfoliant for your hair—just rub it into dry hair then rinse thoroughly after 5 minutes!
If you want to use coffee grounds as an exfoliant, simply mix them with some oil, then rub the mixture onto your skin in circular motions. You can also use them as a face mask by mixing them with avocado and honey (or any other natural ingredients). Leave this on for 10 minutes before rinsing off with warm water.
Keep pests out of your garden
You can use coffee grounds as an organic insect repellent to keep pests away from your plants. They are a natural fertilizer, so they won’t harm the plants you’re trying to protect, but they will keep unwanted critters at bay. Simply spread a thin layer of them around the base of your garden or place them in the soil beneath your plants.
When it comes time to harvest your vegetables and fruits, simply take up any remaining coffee grounds with a shovel and carry it away from your yard and discard it properly (i.e., not down the drain).
They are a great, all-natural way to keep pests out of your garden. They’re also easy to obtain, so it’s not difficult to make this organic insect repellent part of your gardening routine.
If you want to take your organic insect repellent one step further, you can add some drops of peppermint oil to the coffee grounds before using them as a natural pesticide. Peppermint oil is a great way to naturally repel pests without harming any beneficial insects in your garden.
Freshen up your fridge with coffee grounds
You can also use them to freshen up your fridge. Place a bowl of fresh grounds in your fridge, and then let it sit for at least 12 hours or overnight. The grounds will absorb odors, making the inside of your fridge smell great! If you want to increase the power of this trick, add a bit of baking soda to help absorb odors. You could also try using them as deodorizers for other things such as shoes or trash cans.
Create the perfect potting soil
They are natural fertilizers, so they’re an excellent way to add nutrients (and moisture) to your garden. The grounds also act as a barrier against weeds, which means you won’t have to use as much water on your plants. If you’re growing vegetables in containers or raised beds with poor soil, coffee grounds can help improve the soil structure and make it more workable for plants.
As it turns out… coffee actually does go with everything!
Exfoliate your lips with coffee grounds
Coffee grounds are rough, so they can be used to exfoliate the lips. This is especially helpful if you have dry, chapped lips. To use them for this purpose, put a little bit of water in a bowl and then add some coffee grounds. Mix them together until they become a paste-like consistency and then apply it to your lips using your fingers or a small makeup brush. Massage the mixture into your lips using circular motions for about 30 seconds and rinse off with warm water after applying.
Polish wood and silver
Coffee grounds are abrasive, which makes them perfect for polishing metal. You can use them to clean and polish wood, metal and other household items.
To use them to clean your silverware, wet a cloth with water and rub it over the silverware with a few drops of dish soap. Then rinse off the soap with warm water and wipe down your silverware with a dry cloth before rinsing again.
While using coffee grounds on your wooden furniture may buff it to a shine, you should avoid doing this on antique wood pieces or furniture made from softwood because it could damage these more delicate surfaces.
Shine up your car
If you don’t want to keep coffee grounds in your car forever, try using them to shine up the car. Coffee grounds have been used as an alternative to traditional car cleaning products for decades. They can be used to clean the car, polish the car and give it a shiny exterior. Use them on:
- The body of your vehicle (the paint job)
- Windows and other glass surfaces inside and out
- Tires and rubber trim pieces (such as bumpers)
If you’re looking for something more thorough than just wiping down your vehicle with a rag dipped in coffee grounds, try applying some warm water mixed with brewed them onto one section at a time until all areas are covered. Then scrub away!
Use coffee grounds as fire-starters for outdoor cooking
Before you hit the campground, prepare yourself for some serenity by bringing along a few used coffee grounds. You can use them to start a campfire without having to haul around lighter fluid or newspaper.
The process is pretty straightforward:
- Pour out your old coffee grounds into a small pile and separate them with some twigs or paper towels (so they don’t burn).
- Light the pile of grounds with either matches or a lighter, if you have one handy. It should take about five minutes for everything to ignite fully and start burning on its own. As soon as it’s going strong enough that you can see flames licking at the edges of your pile, step back!
Conclusion
Coffee grounds are one of the most underutilized natural resources on our planet. So many people think that they’re just for composting or gardening, but there are actually so many other uses for coffee grounds that we didn’t even mention in this article!