Sure we all know coffee is a miracle worker when it comes to getting us up and out the door in the morning.
But were you aware that these little magic beans actually also work wonders even after you’re through brewing?
Turns out; your coffee grounds are great for all sorts of things, from cooking and cleaning to gardening. And we dare say, once you start seeing the value in these little grounds, you’ll never throw them in the bin again.
Curious? Here are seven ways to put your coffee grounds to great use:
1. Clean Your Grill, Pots and Pans
Abrasive coffee grounds are great for scrubbing greasy grills, pots and pans. Put grounds on a rag and gleefully scrub away, knowing you’re using a natural product to eliminate hard-to-clean grime.
2. It’s Great Worm Food For Your Compost
If you keep a compost pile, add the grounds to help improve the soil you use for your plants. According to Serious Eats, “Worms love the stuff: They’ll munch your day-old coffee happily, turning it into black gold by digesting it and producing nutrient-rich castings.”
3. Rid Your Hands of Garlic and Onion Smells
Oniony and garlicky odors like to linger on the hands. But if you find yourself struggling to completely rid yourself of the gnarly stench, try rubbing your hands with coffee grounds when you’re finished handling these smelly little ingredients.
4. Use Them as Fertilizer for Your Plants
As an organic fertilizer, coffee grounds improve “drainage, water retention and aeration in soil.” Mixing grounds directly into soil helps plants get essential elements like phosphorus and potassium without the use of chemical fertilizers. Be sure to rinse the naturally acidic grounds first, however, or add them to compost before using them in soil.
5. Hide Scratches on Your Furniture
Coffee’s naturally dark color makes it perfect for hiding scratches on wood tables, chairs or other furniture. Let the grounds sit for up to ten minutes to stain unwanted marks, then wipe away with a rag for a more polished appearance with almost no effort.
6. Make an Anti-Cellulite Body Scrub
Coffee grounds actually make a great base for a body scrub, would you believe it or not, and in raw form the grounds actually gently exfoliate the skin (andsmells pretty divine too!). Mix with coconut oil and some Epsom salt and you are good to go.
7. Keep a Bowl in Your Fridge to Eliminate Odors
Just as coffee can remove the stubborn smells from your hands, so too can it rid your refrigerator of lasting odors. Dry out leftover grounds, stick them in a bowl in your fridge and say so long to whatever food smells are creeping around in there.
Did YOU know coffee grounds could do all this? How good are YOU at eliminating food waste and recycling? Join in the conversation with us on Twitter at @Herfamilydotie
