Did you have some coffee this morning?
Maybe, like me, you even made your coffee this morning.
If so, you know that used coffee grounds do abound after a while.
But here is the great news, there are really great uses for those used coffee grounds!
Personally, I do use organic coffee, and I hope you do as well.
There are a couple of different categories for which you can use used coffee grounds.
Up first, used coffee grounds for natural beauty products:
- make a body scrub – mix 1 cup of used coffee grounds with olive oil or coconut oil. For easier cleanup do this in the shower so you can just rinse off when you’re done.
- make a face scrub – mix 2 teaspoons of used coffee grounds with some warmed honey. You can also leave the scrub on as a mask for a few minutes, then rinse off with warm water.
- bring out natural undertones in your hair – use 2 cups of used coffee grounds and steep them in 4 cups of hot water for 1 hour. Strain out the coffee grounds, then rinse your hair with it repeatedly until desired result.
- Alternative for healthy hair – mix grounds with some water and let the mixture sit on your hair for 20 minutes like a hair mask. You can also use this to gently exfoliate your scalp, too. And then just rinse.
There are also some great uses for used coffee grounds in your household:
- neutralize odors – dry the used coffee grounds first, then in an open container let them sit in a cupboard or fridge that needs some scent neutralization.
- scrub pots and pans – when a pot is harder to get clean, use a spoonful of used coffee grounds with your sponge and soap to clean the tough spots.
- use it to clean your garbage disposal (there are even “garbage disposal deodorizing tablet recipes” you can look up online)
if there are some shoes around that need to be deodorized, sprinkle dried used coffee grounds in the shoe overnight and just shake them out in the morning. Will probably need to be repeated.
Did you know coffee grounds can also be a great addition to your gardening?
The coffee grounds can help add nitrogen and help improve the soil.
- mix your used coffee grounds into your compost – when 40% of your compost consists of used coffee grounds, this helps decrease greenhouse gasses and improves quality of the compost (this actually has been studied)
- sprinkle the used coffee grounds on your flower bed and garden (roses really love this)
- used coffee grounds also repel ants, snails, and slugs… sprinkle a ring around the crops as needed. After a few days they start decomposing – feeding the plants – and you just add more
And further interesting uses:
- keep mosquitos away – dry the used coffee grounds, then, in a clay pot burn the dried used coffee grounds… careful, the pot can get hot, don’t leave it out by itself, don’t do it inside, careful if kids are around or if you are in a fire prone area
- used coffee grounds can add traction if your walkway is icy…
- keep cut flowers fresher, longer – add a tablespoon of the used coffee grounds to the water – but major side note, you do need to change the water daily (not just if you add coffee grounds) to avoid mold or other issues.
With so many great uses available for coffee grounds, it’s a great time to start collecting those grounds and get all the uses out of them.
I just love that instead of creating more waste, we get to gain more benefits instead!
