Don't throw out your coffee grounds, reuse them at home!
Your morning routine consists of your morning coffee and those grounds can go to good use. There are many uses for coffee grounds, from the outdoors, to face scrubs and more. Here are some simple tips and DIY's just for you! These are easy ways you can save money and solve everyday problems around the house.
Fireplace logs made of coffee grounds burn hotter longer and emit less carbon dioxide than wood logs
Things You'll Need
- Cookie sheet
- 4 cups coffee grounds
- Two metal loaf pans
- 1 cup molasses
- Three 10-inch unscented uncolored tapered candles
- Knife
- Spoon
Step 1
Spread the coffee grounds out onto the cookie sheet. Place in the oven on the warm setting for 10 minutes. Stir the grounds and place in the oven a second time for 10 minutes. When finished, the grounds should be dry to the touch.
Step 2
Cut the candles in half with a knife. Place two and a half candles in the loaf pan and pour one cup of molasses over them.
Step 3
Melt the candles with the molasses in the oven at 260 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until the wax fully melts.
Step 4
Stir in the dried grounds until all grounds are coated with the wax mixture.
Step 5
Use the bottom of the other loaf pan to compress the coffee ground mixture.
Step 6
Allow the log to cool overnight. Turn the pan upside-down and loosen the log from the pan. It is now ready to burn in your fireplace.
Homemade Fertilizer - Morning Breakfast
You can replace your store-bought fertilizer with coffee grounds. Just sprinkle
the grounds in the soil around your plants, or mix 1/2 cup of grounds and
warm water in a spray bottle to make a fertilizer mist for your home garden.
Other Great Fertilizers:
If you add a banana peel with grounds and warm water into a blender. Place in spray bottle.
Did you have some eggs for breakfast? Crush the egg shells, mix with coffee grounds and warm water for another fertilizer combination.
Bug Repellent
The strong scent of coffee keeps insects at bay. You can sprinkle dry coffee grounds along the foundation of your house, or put the grounds in bowls and set them out on the patio to keep the bugs away.
In Compost
Tossing coffee grounds in your compost pile helps stabilize the pH level,
which helps foods degrade more quickly, and more evenly. The coffee scent also
helps with the smell.
Cleaning Uses
Drain Cleaner
The gritty texture of the grounds and the strong scent helps unclog and deodorize your kitchen sink. Boil a cup of coffee grounds in a pot of water, and then pour the entire hot mixture down the drain.
Refrigerator Deodorizer
Most people use baking soda for this, but coffee grounds work, too. Fill a cheese cloth with dry coffee grounds, and place the bag on a shelf in your refrigerator. The grounds absorb strong odors.
Household Cleaner
Wet or dry coffee grounds effectively clean
heavily soiled pots and pans, and dirty countertops. Just toss the
grounds on the surface, and scrub with a sponge. Test a small area of a countertop for colorfastness before cleaning the entire surface.
Trash Deodorizer
Coffee grounds can absorb the strong odors in your garbage. Fill up an old pair of pantyhose with some dry coffee grounds, and hang the mixture on the inside of your trash can lid.
Shoe Deodorizer
Sprinkle dry coffee grounds into your shoes, let them sit overnight, and
then shake the grounds out over a trashcan. The grounds soak up any
odors, leaving your shoes smelling cleaner.
Face and Body Scrub
You can replace your store-bought exfoliator with coffee grounds. The
abrasiveness of the grounds helps remove dead skin cells, without
irritating your face or body. To use, rub the grounds on in the shower,
then wash them off with cool water.
Hair Shine
Running coffee grounds through your hair can give it a nice sheen. Just rub the coffee grounds in as part of a final rinse, and wash them out with cold water.
Food Flavoring
Used coffee grounds work just as well as fresh grounds in food
recipes. You can also add a small amount of grounds to chocolate baked
goods for some added flavor.
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