Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world. But coffee is good for more than just a morning pick-me-up. Used coffee grounds have many practical uses in your home and in the garden. You can even incorporate used coffee grounds into your daily skincare routine.
Here are 13 clever uses for used coffee grounds:
- Body scrub – Turn used coffee grounds into an exfoliating scrub that will leave your skin silky smooth and glowing. Just mix coffee grounds with olive oil or coconut oil, brown sugar and a few drops of your preferred essential oil. Use in the shower to slough away dead skin cells from your arms, legs and feet.
- Fertilizer – Sprinkle some used coffee grounds directly over the soil in your garden for added nitrogen. Plants need nitrogen to grow and produce fruits or vegetables. Coffee grounds also keep soil moist. (Related: For the organic farmer: Grow healthier plants with organic fertilizer mixed with compost tea.)
- Pest control – Sprinkle some used coffee grounds wherever you need to shoo away pests like slugs and ants. The strong smell of coffee wards off these critters without harming beneficial plants or leaving traces of chemicals, as is the case with chemical pesticides.
- Facial scrub – Prepare an all-natural rejuvenating facial scrub by combining coffee grounds, jojoba oil, castile soap and your preferred essential oil. Use daily in the morning to feel more energized.
- Cookware cleaner – The coarse texture of coffee grounds is great for removing caked-on food bits and gunk from your pots, pans and dishes. Just sprinkle them directly onto your cookware and scrub with a soft sponge or brush. Make sure to rinse thoroughly afterward to remove the smell and taste of coffee.
- Refrigerator deodorizer – Put a bowl of used coffee grounds in the refrigerator to remove foul odors. You can also put a bowl of used coffee grounds in cupboards or in the closet to banish stubborn odors.
- Hand and foot deodorizer – Keep a dish of used coffee grounds by your kitchen sink or prep area for deodorizing your hands after handling pungent ingredients like onion and garlic. If you have smelly feet, wash them with cold water and then scrub them with used coffee grounds to eliminate odor.
- Garbage disposal deodorizer – To banish foul odors from your garbage disposal, send 1/4 teaspoon of used coffee grounds and a cup of ice down the disposal. Run it for a few minutes.
- Under-eye treatment – Look more awake by slathering some used coffee grounds onto the under-eye area. Leave on for 10–15 minutes before wiping them away with a wet cloth.
- Air freshener – Sprinkle some used coffee grounds onto your favorite wax melts and add them to your wax warmer. This is an easy and affordable way to freshen up your house without essential oils.
- Hair rinse – Massage used coffee grounds onto your scalp and rinse thoroughly for healthy, shiny hair. Plus, the caffeine in coffee grounds is thought to stimulate hair growth and prevent hair loss.
- Lip scrub – Gently exfoliate your lips with a homemade coffee lip scrub. Just mix coffee grounds with a few drops of sweet almond oil. Use no more than twice a week to avoid irritating your lips.
- Vermicompost – Vermicomposting involves feeding organic material to earthworms to make rich soil. Instead of throwing away used coffee grounds, put them in your vermicomposting bin. Worms will make short work of used coffee grounds and give you dark, rich soil in no time.
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