If you’re a coffee drinker – and you brew your own coffee – you have a lot of coffee grounds to deal with.
There are some not-so-green ways to dispose of them – like throwing them in the garbage. (Why leave coffee grounds in a landfill for years??)
And there are greener ways to dispose of them – like composting them.
But if you’re looking for creative alternatives besides the garbage or compost pile, what in the world can you do with the remains of your cup of joe? Here are 8 suggestions:
1. Mulch.
Coffee grounds often are considered to be acidic, but as long as you sprinkle the grounds – and not heavily clump them – over your soil, they’ll enrich your gardens. (Once the grounds decompose, the acidity neutralizes.) Personally, since some of my flower gardens aren’t jam-packed with flowers, I sprinkle our grounds on the soil – and not close to my perennials.
2. Fertilizer.
Some plants thrive with the acidity coffee grounds contain – like azaleas, hydrangeas, roses and rhododendrons. Carrots and tomatoes will greatly benefit, too. Simply add spent grounds to the soil around these plants.
3. Cat repellent.
Not everyone likes the smell of coffee. By sprinkling grounds around plants or simply around the perimeter of your garden, you can keep neighborhood felines away.
4. Pest repellent.
Coffee grounds also repel snails, slugs and ants, so sprinkle grounds in problem areas.
5. Deodorize your fridge.
If you’d like to deodorize your refrigerator without opening a box of baking soda, fill a repurposed glass jar with coffee grounds and add it to a shelf in your fridge.
6. Deodorize your skin.
If you’ve finished your meal prep and your hands smell like garlic or onions, simply rub some cool coffee grounds onto your skin, then rinse off.
7. Soften and exfoliate your skin.
If you like to make your own body scrubs, experiment by adding some coffee grounds in your mixture. Mother Nature Network suggests a scrub of brown sugar, coconut oil and coffee grounds.
8. Scrub your pans.
Just like coffee grounds can exfoliate your skin, it also can take grease off your pots and pans. Add a small amount of grounds to your cookware and scour the gunk away!
Talk back
How do you creatively reuse coffee grounds?
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Ruthie says
I do throw our coffee grounds into our GARBAGE can, because they and our other garbage go into the compost pile. I never throw used coffee grounds into our TRASH can, which goes to the transfer station for burning. If people understood that there are several ways to take care of what you are calling GARBAGE!! We have Returnables, Recyclables and Trash receptacles at our transfer station. Most of us have compost piles into which we put our garbage. The one exception would be meat substances… they do not belong in a compost pile.
Hilary Kimes Bernstein says
I guess we just use different meanings for the words trash and garbage, Ruthie. I’ve always called compost “compost” and garbage for whatever is thrown in the garbage bag and sits out in the garbage can for the garbage truck to come and pick it up for the landfill. I really wish I had returnables, recyclables and trash receptacles in my community … but unfortunately we only have recycling bins for cardboard, plastic, glass, and aluminum.
Helen says
For body scrubs, do you use fresh or used coffee grounds?
Hilary Kimes Bernstein says
I’ve read that you can use either fresh or used grounds. If you try the body scrub, please let me know how you like it!
Denise says
Love using as a skin scrub….but concerned about them going down the drain. So, I don`t do it very often. Any suggestions?
Hilary Kimes Bernstein says
Hmmm … I understand your concern. I never thought about that aspect – either with coffee scrubs or oatmeal scrubs. Although it would be messy and labor intensive, could you rinse off with water in a large bowl? The bowl could catch all the coffee grounds and when you’re finished you could strain it and dispose of the coffee grounds. Just an idea …
Melissa Margaret says
I actually usually just wash them down the kitchen drain. I wad told back in the day that the acidity cleans the pipes and keeps the drain sweet-smelling. I don’t have a Disposal so I’m not sure if it would be appropriate for those that do have one.
LOVE some of these tips!