Image: Scoop of Coffee
Recently I started brewing my own coffee at home, skipping the Starbucks. It was a sad day, but that’s a different blog post! Everyday I would brew my coffee, then dump the used grounds in the trash, thinking to myself that there had to be something I could use those for! Well, it turns out there is! Actually, quite a few things. Today we’re sharing a list of ways to use those coffee grounds so they don’t go to waste. And if you want to use coffee grounds but don’t drink coffee, head to one of your local coffee shop–odds are they will give them to you for free!
1. Dye: You can rebrew your coffee grounds and use the new coffee for dye. You can dye paper, eggs, cloth, and can even use your used coffee filters to make something like this beautiful wreath from Craftberry Bush:
2. Flea bath: Next time you are bathing your dog, rub coffee grounds into its coat and rinse. The scent will help repel the fleas! (Of course, it’s a good idea to check with your vet to make sure that is safe for your pup!)
3. Gardening: Spread grounds around your acid-loving plants, use the grounds to help break up your soil at the end of the season, or add the grounds to your compost pile.
4. Repellant: Coffee grounds might be what you need to repel those annoying snails and slugs in your garden, and maybe even that neighbor’s cat that loves hanging out in your yard!
5. Deodorizer: Dry out your grounds and place them in a sock, sache or nylon. Hang them in your closet or place them in an old shoe, and they will neutralize the odor. You can also place used coffee grounds in your refrigerator instead of baking soda. If you’ve been cutting garlic or onions, scrubs your hands with coffee ground and rinse with warm water…no more stink!
6. Clean: Use grounds to help gently scour your pots, pans, and sink. (Probably not a great idea to use this on nonstick though, since you don’t want to scratch them.) They will be shiny clean, and any odor will be neutralized as well!
7. Body Scrubs: Coffee can be a natural exfoliator for your skin. Check out this Coconut Coffee Ground Body Scrub Recipe from Savy Naturalista (photo below) or this softening DIY Body Scrub.
8. Dandruff wash for brunettes: Scrubbing your scalp with coffee grounds occasionally may not only help with dandruff but will leave your hair shiny and silky! Not for blondes though, unless you want dark roots. Maybe a natural ombre?
9. Furniture Stain: Rebrew grounds and steep for a few hours. Drain and use as a stain for dark wood scratches.
10. Fire: Sprinkle used grounds over ashes in your fireplace and notice the reduced dust when cleaning. Another interesting use are these fancy firestarters!
Coffee makes us happy, and these creative ways for using up the grounds make it even better! If you’ve tried any of these (or plan to), we’d love to hear about it!
I love it for gardening and body scrubs! It works great on skin, you have to seriously clean your shower afterwards, but worth it.
Good to know! Yes, I use it mostly for gardening. We throw it in a bucket I keep outside the door and mix it in with soil. It’s supposed to turn hydrangeas a bluer color, but I’ve yet to have that happen! I need to try it as a scrub ASAP.