Stop! Don’t automatically toss those used coffee grounds in the trash – there are a ton of ways to reuse old coffee grounds around your house or apartment. While a morning cup of coffee (or two or three) is great, the used grounds can serve many more purposes after providing you with your morning jolt.
How Many Uses Are There?
After you grind your coffee beans and make your coffee, here are 16 ways to reuse old coffee grounds that you may find quite useful (or surprising, as I did), but please do email us if you have more ideas that didn’t make our list.
1. Deodorizer
Reuse old coffee grounds by placing them in a bowl in your refrigerator and use them to get rid of unwanted food odors. It’s amazing how effective this can be!
2. Furniture Scratch Fixer
Adding a little water to some old coffee grounds makes a nice brown stain for your scratched furniture legs. If needed, add a small amount of mineral oil to thicken it up. Genius!
3. Plant & Flower Fertilizer
Your plants will love this addition to their soil. Whether it’s in ground-up format or made into a spray, either will work great. If you happen to grow your own berries, these plants love the added acidic content provided by a sprinkling of old coffee grounds.
4. Worm Food
No, not for the worms living out in your yard! But the ones in your worm-bin composter will love some coffee grounds!
5. Insect Repellant
Tired of bugs making their way into your house? Try sprinkling coffee grounds around the cracks in your foundation.
6. Skin Exfoliant
Not that I have ever tried it, but you may want to try lightly massaging some dried grounds onto your skin to exfoliate! The natural oils in coffee can also have a nourishing/rejuvenating effect I’m told!
7. Easter Egg Dye
Sure, they won’t be pink or blue, but they will be dyed a lovely shade of cappuccino!
8. Shoe Deodorizer
Yep, dried coffee grounds can help deodorize your stinky shoes.
9. Pet Groomer
Mix coffee grounds with water and you have a nice grooming solution that leaves Fidos hair shining bright. Brush out excess grounds with a gentle brush.
10. Household Cleaner
Similar to a skin exfoliant, old coffee grounds can also be used as an abrasive cleaning solution around the house.
11. Ash Reducer
Sprinkle some wet coffee grounds on fireplace ashes before you shovel them out to reduce ash flyaway.
12. Neighborhood Cat Repellent
Neighborhood cats using your garden as a private bathroom? Coffee grounds can help keep them away (and of course, fertilize the garden too).
13. Pet & Animal Friendly Flea Dip
Dried grounds can help kill off fleas.
14. Kitchen Drain Odor Remover
Boiling water and coffee grounds help to get rid of stinky odors. Just don’t use too much at once! Too much ground coffee could clog your drain or in-sink garbage disposal.
15. Add Shine To Your Hair
When washing your hair, lightly massage some grounds in and then wash them out for a luxurious shine!
16. A Great Compost Addition
Add to compost piles/bins to help balance pH. If you use paper filters, they can go in the compost bin too!
Yours In Coffee,
Andrew
Visit Us In Westlake Village
There’s always an open invitation waiting for you to join us at our cupping table in Westlake Village.
Feel free to email us anytime or call to speak with our friendly staff M-F, 8AM – 4:30PM PST about other ways to reuse old coffee grounds, and how we can help your roasting business. 800.761.JAVA