Have you ever tried brewing coffee with used coffee grounds? The taste is, well, unpleasant. But don’t throw those grounds away just yet! They have many unexpected personal and household uses, and with the cost of seemingly everything on the rise, repurposing everything we can is just economical.
If you enjoy coffee each morning, here are some genius ways to repurpose your coffee grounds afterward.
1. Natural Fertilizer
Coffee grounds alone won’t make a good fertilizer, but combining them with nitrogen fertilizer and animal manure should do the trick. Before throwing away leftover coffee grounds, consider sprinkling them in your garden or the pots of some of your house plants. Coffee grounds are especially good for plants that require low-pH soil, such as azaleas and rhododendrons.
2. Insect Repellent
Some experts claim that burnt coffee grounds keep mosquitos away. Sprinkling some around your yard or near the pool or porch will help reduce the amount of eggs mosquitoes lay near you. When used as fertilizer, coffee grounds can also deter other types of insects.
3. Natural Cleaning Scrub
Have a hard-to-remove stain from one of your pots or pans? Coffee grounds are naturally abrasive, making them perfect for scrubbing tough stains. Think of them as an organic substitute for steel wool. All you need is coffee grounds, hot water, and soap.
4. Skin and Hair Care
Naturally, when you think of coffee, you’re most likely thinking of the taste and the incoming productivity boost. However, coffee can have other benefits for your body.
When mixed with lemon juice and brown sugar, coffee grounds can be a great exfoliant to scrub away dead skin cells in your scalp, get rid of puffy eyes, and stimulate blood flow to make your skin look bright. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can even potentially use coffee grounds to darken your hair.
5. De-Icer
If you’re running low on salt during the winter, pour some coffee grounds over a dangerously icy area. Although the coffee grounds themselves won’t melt your ice, they absorb sunlight, helping the surrounding ice melt faster. Simply spread your coffee grounds across the ice and let the sun do its magic.
6. Natural Dye
Brewed coffee grounds can also work as a natural dye. While you can use coffee grounds to dye fabrics, there are other uses as well. If you want to give paper a vintage look or are looking to stain some wood, look no further.
7. Homemade Candles
If you love the smell of coffee, you’ll love the smell of homemade coffee candles. To make one, you’ll need a mug, a natural candle wick, candle wax, and coffee grounds. After mixing your candle wax with the coffee grounds, wait about an hour for it to dry, and voila!
8. Fireplace Cleaner
If you need to clean your fireplace but don’t want to make a mess, add used coffee grounds to the pit before cleaning. Coffee grounds will help weigh down dust so it doesn’t spread all over nearby furniture and the surrounding area as you clean.
9. Flea Removal
Like other insects, fleas hate coffee, which is good news for you and your furry friends. If you believe your pet has fleas, try rubbing a small amount of coffee grounds into their fur after shampooing. You’ll want to be careful and rinse your pet not long after using this treatment, however, as caffeine is toxic for both dogs and cats when ingested.
10. Pin Cushion Filler
For those who knit, coffee grounds act as a great pin cushion. All you’ll need are a few tablespoons of coffee grounds, fabric scraps, cardboard, and an embroidery thread. The finished product is a useful pin cushion that you can personalize if you’re feeling creative.