10 Clever Ways To Reuse Your Coffee Grounds |
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10 clever ways to resue your
coffee grounds
Coffee is a beloved beverage for many of us, and it's no surprise that it's one of the most popular drinks in the world. But what do you do with the leftover ground coffee after you've brewed your cup?
Don't throw it away! There are plenty of ways to reuse your coffee grounds and get the most out of them. From making your own coffee-infused beauty products to creating a unique flavour for your next meal, in this article we’ll explore some of the creative ways you can reuse your waste coffee.
What Are The Benefits Of Reusing Coffee?
Reusing coffee beans is good for the environment and it can also be good for your wallet. It helps conserve natural resources and can be a good way to reduce energy consumption. Plus, it cuts down on coffee-related waste, protecting our planet and its valuable assets.
Whether you’re an individual who enjoys freshly ground coffee at home, or you run a business that serves coffee throughout the day, reusing your grounds can be a positive step towards improved sustainability. You can also reuse leftover beans that are no longer fresh, or are past their expiration date.
For coffee shops that care about the environment, reusing leftover grounds can be a great way to reinforce the values of your brand. Along with strategies like using environmentally friendly disposables and cutting back on energy consumption in your premises, it’s possible to use your waste coffee products in a responsible way.
In turn, this can provide opportunities to sell or give away additional products that have been made in-house from your leftover grounds. Using leftover grounds creatively can therefore help to provide an additional revenue stream, or to enable you to be proactive in addressing issues that you care about.
So, grab your coffee grounds and leftover beans, and get ready to explore the many ways you can reuse them.
1. Make An Exfoliating Coffee Scrub
Drinking coffee is believed to offer a number of health benefits, and making a body scrub from used or leftover coffee beans can be a great way to exfoliate and nourish your skin too.
To make the scrub, start by grinding the expired coffee beans in a food processor or blender until they are a fine powder. If you’re reusing grounds, you likely won’t need to grind them any further. Simply leave them somewhere warm until they are dried out.
Next, mix the coffee powder with a carrier oil of your choice, such as coconut oil or olive oil. Finally, add a few drops of your favourite natural essential oil for a pleasant scent. Once all the ingredients are combined, store the scrub in an airtight container and use it in the shower or bath.
To use, massage the scrub onto damp skin in circular motions and rinse off with warm water. The ground coffee beans will help to exfoliate and remove dead skin cells, while the oil will help to nourish and moisturise the skin.The benefits of using a body scrub made with coffee include exfoliation, nourishment, and moisturisation of the skin.
The coarseness of the coffee helps to remove dead cells, while the carrier oil helps to nourish and moisturise the skin. Additionally, the essential oil adds a pleasant scent to the scrub.
Made with natural ingredients, using this type scrub regularly can help to improve the appearance and texture of the skin, leaving it feeling soft and smooth. You could even make it available to buy at the till in your store.
2. Fertilise Your Garden Naturally With Coffee
Using coffee as a fertiliser for your garden is a great way to give your plants a nutrient boost. It’s also better for the environment than using fertilisers which include chemicals that can be dangerous to wildlife.
Start by collecting used coffee grounds together. Depending on how much coffee you make, you might need to collect grounds for a few days until you have a decent sized amount. Or if you’re an individual, you could ask your local coffee shop if you can take their grounds away.
Then simply spread the coffee evenly over the soil in your garden, trying to cover as much of the surface as possible. You can also mix the grounds into the soil for a more even distribution.
Coffee grounds are high in nitrogen, which helps to promote healthy plant growth. Additionally, the grounds help to retain moisture in the soil, which is beneficial for plants. They can also act as a natural pest repellent, keeping away unwanted bugs. With regular use, your garden will be thriving in no time!
3. Upcycle Fabrics With A Coffee Dye
Using coffee as a natural dye for fabric is a great way to add a unique touch to your projects. It’s an eco-friendly and cost effective way to upcycle old items, and be used to create beautiful and one-of-a-kind pieces.
To begin, you will need to steep the coffee grounds or expired beans in hot water for at least an hour. Once the water has cooled, strain the coffee and add the liquid to a pot.
Next, take the fabric that you want to dye and place in the pot, making sure that it’s completely covered. Place the pot containing your coffee infusion and your fabric onto a hob or stove, and simmer for about an hour.
Once the fabric has reached the desired colour, remove it from the pot and rinse it in cold water. Allow the fabric to air dry, and then it is ready to use. You can also add a few tablespoons of vinegar to the dye bath to help the colour set.
With a little bit of patience and experimentation, you can create beautiful and unique fabric pieces with used coffee grounds or beans. Try pinching sections of the fabric together any securing with string for a unique coffee tie-dye effect, or repurposing old cushions, lampshades and even rugs.
4. Use Coffee To Neutralise Odours
Using coffee grounds as a natural air freshener is a great way to eliminate odours in your home. Coffee grounds are naturally high in nitrogen, which makes them great at absorbing bad smells caused by sulphur.
This can be particularly good at eliminating odours in your refrigerator, including those caused by gone off foods. Simply place your grounds into an uncovered container and leave at the back of the fridge. The coffee will absorb the smells from the space, leaving the air clean and fresh.
Coffee can also be used to eliminate strong smells from your microwave. Place the grounds from making one coffee into a cup or bowl, and mix with about half a cup of water. Then heat for thirty to sixty seconds, and the smells from your microwave will be absorbed into the coffee mixture.
If you want to eliminate odours elsewhere in your home, or even your car, put coffee grinds into an old sock or pair of tights, and secure the end with an elastic band. Leave it in the place you’d like to freshen up, and within a few hours you should notice that any unpleasant smells have been deodorised.
As well as neutralising odours, you can also use coffee beans to add scent to a space. Simply place some beans into a bowl and leave in any room. As well as absorbing odours, you’ll notice a subtle smell of rich and delicious coffee in the room.
5. Boost Your Compost With Coffee Grounds
Boosting your compost with used coffee is a great way to add extra richness to your soil. If you drink coffee regularly, and have a steady supply of used grounds, it is also one of the easiest and most environmentally friendly ways to repurpose your waste.
Once you have the grounds, simply mix them into your compost pile. If you make coffee regularly, you can add grinds to your compost heap or bin every few days and cover with other matter in between, which will help the grinds mix into the compost.
The used coffee will add nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to the compost, which will help to break down the organic matter and create a nutrient-rich soil. It will also help to attract beneficial microorganisms to the compost, which will help to break down the organic matter even further and add even more nutrients like calcium and magnesium to your compost.
Coffee grounds will also help to retain moisture in the compost, which will help to keep it from drying out. Simply use your coffee infused compost as you would normally, by adding to your plants and icing with soil in your garden.
6. Use Coffee As A Natural Insect Repellent
Using coffee grounds as a natural insect repellent is a great way to deter pests without using harsh chemicals. It’s also an inexpensive way to tackle mosquitoes and midges in your garden, particularly if you’re a regular coffee drinker.
You can actually use coffee to deter insects in a few different ways. The first and perhaps simplest way is to sprinkle your used grounds around your garden, or try mixing with water and pouring around the perimeter of your space.
The smell of the coffee can help to deter flies and ants, and has been shown to act as a natural deterrent that prevents mosquitoes laying eggs, which can help to further reduce their numbers.
Another way you can use coffee to ward off pests is to burn it. The smoke produced from burning coffee grounds will repel insects. For this method, first you need to gather together your coffee grounds and put them somewhere warm until they are completely dry.
Take your dried out grounds, and use a natural firelighter to set them alight. Once the grounds start to burn, cover with a damp cloth to extinguish the flame and produce smoke. The subtle waft of coffee scented smoke in the air will deter flies, mosquitoes and other insects from getting too close, which can be great if you’re enjoying a barbeque or relaxing in the garden during the summer months.
7. Stimulate Hair Growth & Promote Healthy Hair
Studies have shown that applying caffeine directly to the scalp can help to promote hair growth, and be an effective way to reduce hair loss.
It’s believed that coffee can help to prevent damage to hair follicles caused by the hormone that is responsible for some types of hair loss, and can also work to strengthen hair roots. It can also work to help trap moisture in your hair, and be a natural way to achieve soft and shiny hair, or combat dryness and frizz that some people experience.
Start by mixing your coffee grounds with a carrier oil, such as coconut oil, to create a paste. Apply the paste to your scalp and massage it in for a few minutes. Leave the paste on for at least 30 minutes before rinsing it off with warm water. Doing this once a week can improve the health of your scalp and your hair, leading to thicker, fuller hair and reducing any loss you may be experiencing.
8. Use Coffee For Tenderising Meat
Using used coffee for tenderising meat is a great way to add unique flavour to your dish, as well as helping to ensure your meat stays moist and delicious when it cooks.
Using a coffee rub works particularly well for steaks or beef, but you can also try using it with chicken or other dishes.
The acidity of the coffee helps to break down the proteins on the surface of the meat, which helps you to achieve a beautiful crusty surface and delicious juicy inside. It also helps to tenderise the meat for a succulent and mouth watering texture.
Start by grinding your beans or collecting your coffee grounds, and mix with a little bit of olive oil. Rub into the meat, then place into an airtight container. Leave the mixture to marinate for at least an hour, or overnight if possible. You can also add other herbs and spices to the mixture to great a range of delicious flavours.
Finally, cook the meat as you normally would, and enjoy the delicious results!
9. Make A Coffee Scented Candle
Making a coffee-scented candle is a great way to enjoy the beautiful aroma of coffee without needing to brew a cup, and a great way to use old coffee beans or grounds. Not only is it a great way to reduce waste, but it can also be used for aromatherapy to help reduce stress and anxiety. The candle can last for several hours, providing a long-lasting aroma that can be used in any room of the house.
To make a coffee scented candle you’ll need coffee grounds, plus some coffee beans if you want to add some extra style, soy wax flakes, a wick, and a heat proof container. You can also use leftover wax from old candles instead of the soy flakes for extra sustainability points.
Start by melting the wax in a heat proof bowl. Once the wax is melted, transfer it to your candle container; you could use a coffee cup to extend the theme, or something like a glass jar. Mix your coffee grinds into the wax and stir with a wooden stick to distribute evenly. If you want to add beans, place on the top or combine with the mixture.
Next, drop your wick into the wax and position centrally. You might want to use something to support the top of the wick until you’re finished. Once the wax is cool, trim off any excess from the wick.
When you’re ready, light the candle and enjoy the soothing aromas of roast coffee. These candles make great gifts, or beautiful accessories to use or sell in your coffee shop.
10. Use Coffee To Help Clean Your Home
Coffee grinds can be put to many uses around the home, and one of the most effective is to use them as a scrub to clean surfaces.
Coffee grinds are abrasive, which means that they can be used to remove dirt, stains and grime from worktops, floors, sinks or other hard surfaces in the home. We wouldn’t recommend using coffee to try to clean porous surfaces however, as the natural colours in the coffee may cause staining.
For items like pots and pans that may have stock on residue, simply sprinkle in a few coffee grounds, add a little hot water and scrub with a cloth. The coffee grinds should then get to work and help lift those stuck on bits of food.
For other surfaces, mix your grinds with a small amount of warm water to form a paste and scrub with a cloth. When you’re done, wipe away the grinds and buff with a clean cloth to pick up any remaining residue.
Coffee: More Than Just A Drink
Coffee is undoubtedly one of the planet’s most popular drinks that has been enjoyed around the world for hundreds of years. However, not many people realise that coffee can be used in a range of other ways, as well as to make delicious espressos, cappuccinos and lattes.
While premium roast coffee beans are of course best used to make delicious beverages first, once you’ve enjoyed your cup, why not see what else you can do with your leftover grounds!