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Creative Uses for Coffee Grounds

creative uses for coffee grounds

We here at Coffee Mill are huge promoters of coffee consumption. We share the health benefits of coffee, ethical industry standards, share recipes and just generally tout the drink’s greatness. For all that is good with coffee, it turns out that there is so much more than a tasty beverage. Squeeze every lost drop of goodness out of your coffee with these creative uses for coffee grounds.  

Coffee for Your Plants

Coffee grounds contain a number of key minerals that plants need to grow, including nitrogen, calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, and chromium. The grounds also help to absorb heavy metals that may contaminate your soil. Coffee grounds attract worms which are good for your garden and act as a natural fertilizer for flowers and vegetables. You simply sprinkle the grounds onto the soil surrounding your plants and let it go to work.  

A Caffeinated Garden

If you like to make compost for your garden, add coffee grounds to your mixture. The grounds will add a number of nutrients to your compost and it also reduces greenhouse gas emissions from your compost plot. Coffee grounds also contain caffeine and diterpenes which are highly toxic to insects. This will act like a natural insect repellent for your garden.  It turns out; your plants might love coffee as much as you do.

Keep Pests Off Your Pets

Speaking of coffees grounds disrupting insects, they can also work to keep fleas off of your pet. Simply rub coffee grounds into your dog or cats coat and then rinse them out. It will help to keep your pet flea-free between baths. This works best for pets who are currently devoid of fleas, if your pet already has fleas, you will want to consult a veterinarian on what is best in that regard.  

Air Freshener

As we mentioned, coffee grounds are high in nitrogen.  This helps to eliminate foul-smelling sulfur gas from the air. Add a bowl of used coffee grounds to your refrigerator to keep evil smells at bay. Fill an old sock or pantyhose with coffee grounds and tie them off to make a portable air freshener for closets, bedroom drawers, or to throw them under your car seats.  

House Cleaning

The abrasiveness of coffee grounds can also help you clean up around the house. Add grounds, water, and some elbow grease to those hard-to-clean surfaces around your sink, cookware and grill. The grittiness of used coffee grounds can be used to clean your whole kitchen or bath. Be careful not to use them on porous materials as they will dye anything where they cannot be washed off.  

Repair Damaged Wood

This staining effect, however, can work wonders around scratched furniture, tables, window sills and other damaged wood. Before you run off to the hardware store to buy expensive stains or varnishes, try mixing up water and used coffee grounds to make a paste. Use a cloth or cotton swab for applying it to the scratched or damaged area. Let it dry and watch the scratch disappear into the rest of the wood. 

Fireplaces and Grills

You can also scatter used coffee grounds around the bottom and sides of your fireplace or grill. The wet grounds will soak up the soot and ash and prevent them from venting out into the air or around your house.  

DIY Exfoliant

Use the coarse particles in coffee grounds as an exfoliating agent in a DIY scrub. Mix the grounds with a little water or coconut oil and scrub your hands, arms and face to wash away dead skin and rub in the antioxidants found in the grounds. Add to a small amount of honey to coffee grounds and use it as an exfoliating lip scrub.  

Mocha Marinade

The enzymes in coffee grounds also act as a natural meat tenderizer. The acidic flavor helps to enhance the flavors of most meats. Add used coffee grounds to your favorite dry-rub recipe and let sit for a few hours. Alternately, re-brew used coffee grounds to make a wonderful marinade for your favorite meats. A good 24 hours in a coffee marinade and delicious steaks and chicken are ready for the grill or oven. 

 

You’ve learned about some pretty creative uses for coffee grounds, but can we all agree that the best use for coffee grounds is making coffee? If you love coffee as much as we do, give us a call at Coffee Mill and find out how we can bring the special taste of coffee to your workplace every day.