The picture above shows some coffee grounds just before used. Pristine. Beautiful. Full of wonderful potential.
But what about after you drink the coffee? What do you do with the “used” coffee grounds? Of course you could just toss them, but what a waste! Instead, take a look below for seven ways you can put those used grounds to good use.
- Use them as fertilizer.
If you grow hydrangeas, azaleas, roses, camellias or other plants that love acidic soil, mix your old grounds with some brown leaves, dry straw or dead grass clippings (doing so neutralizes some of the acidity) and then spread them around. Used coffee grounds will add potassium and nitrogen to the soil. The coffee ground don’t have calcium or phosphorus so you can’t use them for encouraging blooms, but it will help the plants stay healthy. - Get rid of nasty fridge odors with coffee grounds.
Just as you put baking soda in your refrigerator, so can you place some used grounds to eliminate odors. (After about two weeks – when the grounds start to smell themselves – go place them on your plants, as described above.) - Use them as a abrasive on kitchen counters….and your face!
Place some old grounds (not a big pile, just a sprinkle) onto a cleaning cloth and you can scrub off stuck-on food from dishes and your kitchen counter. As abrasive as the grounds may feel, they aren’t harsh enough to damage your kitchen’s surfaces (although you may want to keep the coffee away from granite and marble countertops as it could stain them).Coffee grounds also make a great facial and body exfoliator. Mix used ground with some warm water (or an all-natural oil such as coconut oil) and start scrubbing. You’ll be removing dead skin cells and will find your quite soft when you’re done.
- Make white paper look lie parchment!
If you love to write letters or make crafts, you can turn plain white paper into something that looks like antique parchment by using used coffee grounds soaked in water. - Camouflage scratches in your furniture.
Steep used grounds and then take a cotton swab and dab the grounds in scratches in your dark wood furniture. You’ll want to first test the grounds on an area of the table or chair that’s hidden. - Trap cockroaches.
- Hide Furniture Scratches
Dip a cotton swab into steeped grounds and dab on scratches in dark wood furniture to minimize them. Just test in an inconspicuous area first.