11 uses for leftover coffee grinds

If you drink as much coffee in your house was we do in ours, I’m sure you have often wondered if there was anything you could do with all the coffee grounds? If you have a dedicated knockbox or if you keep it all in one place, you will be surprised how quickly used coffee builds up. Here ar a few ideas to consider.

Coffee grinds are a good source of nitrogen for your plants.

Mix used coffee grinds into garden soil to give your acid-loving plants (like azaleas and blueberries) a boost! The acidity of used coffee grinds helps balance soil’s pH level, which is especially beneficial for neutralising the alkalinity in soil where your hydrangeas are planted. Coffee grinds also add nitrogen and other essential nutrients, making it an ideal fertiliser for all types of plants.

The potassium and nitrogen levels of fresh coffee grinds are high too. Nitrogen is responsible for helping plants grow strong stems and leaves while potassium helps improve overall plant health by increasing disease resistance and water absorption.

Used coffee grounds are not only great for your plants; they’re also great for your garden’s soil structure. They make a good substitute to peat moss in homemade potting soil, which tends to dry out quickly in pots.

Add it to your compost

Coffee grinds can be added to your compost pile to help balance the soil’s pH level. Coffee itself is acidic, so it will help lower the pH level of too-alkaline soil.

But be sure to add coffee grinds in moderation — too much and you’ll end up with too-acidic soil.

Remove odours from your fridge or microwave

Used coffee grinds make a great natural deodoriser. Put them in a small container and put the container in the fridge, microwave or other appliance to soak up odours. Leave them there for a few hours and then discard. The coffee grounds will absorb any unpleasant odours from the appliance and leave behind their own pleasant scent.

Exfoliate your skin

Why is it that the best skin exfoliators are often the most abrasive? It makes sense—the more surface area an exfoliant’s granules or particles have, the more nooks and crannies they’ll be able to get into, which means they can scrub away dead skin cells, leaving behind a soft, smooth glow. But sometimes you need something gentler. Coffee grinds are just fine for this purpose, as they’re filled with fine particles that won’t scratch your skin.

Mix about a tablespoon of used coffee grounds with three tablespoons of coconut oil. Add in some essential oils (like lavender or chamomile) or ingredients like honey or cocoa powder, if you like. Rub it with your hands all over damp skin in the shower and rinse off. The coffee grinds will exfoliate and soften your skin while the coconut oil leaves behind its moisturising benefits, making for smooth and hydrated skin. This mixture can also be used as a shaving cream by adding in some water and swishing it around on your legs before shaving.

Freshen up your hands after chopping onions or garlic

Chopping up an onion or several cloves of garlic is a lot easier when you don’t have to worry about getting smelly hands. To avoid that, try rubbing your hands with used coffee grinds. The grounds will absorb the smell and leave your hands fresh. Not only that, but they’ll also get rid of any lingering smell from handling raw meat or fish. If you don’t have any coffee grounds around, you can use plain flour. In addition to removing the offending odour, the grounds also have a texture that will help scrub the oils from your skin without stripping it of its own natural oils.

Add coffee grinds to cleaning products

Coffee grounds have natural antibacterial properties that make them useful for household cleaning. You can add them to homemade soaps and detergents to create an extra-effective cleaning product. Plus, coffee grounds have a pleasing scent that will help the room smell fresh during clean-up time. There’s no need to purchase expensive scented oils for this—just add used coffee grounds to your homemade cleaners and enjoy a great smell throughout the house! And if you want to take it even further in the scent department, try adding citrus zest (oranges, lemons, limes) before brewing your next pot of coffee. The smell is wonderful when paired with coffee grounds in cleaning products! Mix the grounds with some liquid soap or water and sprinkle the mixture on grimey bathroom fixtures or the kitchen sink—it’s great for getting rid of hard water stains.

Tenderise your meat with coffee

Marinating your meat before cooking it is an easy way to add flavour and make it more tender.

Marinades can be acidic, which helps break down the meat’s muscle fibres. This makes it easier to chew, but it also means that the meat can absorb some of the flavours of the marinade, allowing you to infuse different flavours into your dish.

Coffee grounds contain natural acids and enzymes, making them especially effective at tenderising meat. They can also be used as a homemade dry rub, which can enhance the flavour of the meat.

Simply mix your favourite dry-rub recipe with used coffee grounds and apply it to the raw meat two hours before you plan on cooking it. The grounds will get cooked onto the surface of the meat when you cook it, forming a dark and flavorful crust.

Remove tired, under-eye circles

Coffee contains caffeine and antioxidants, which can reduce the appearance of dark circles under the eyes.

The skin surrounding your eyes is extremely delicate and contains very little fat tissue. Because of this, it’s one of the first areas that can show signs of ageing and fatigue like dark circles and puffiness.

There are many causes of dark circles and puffiness around the eyes. They include heredity, allergies, stress, rubbing or scratching the eyes, inadequate skin quality and lack of sleep. Fragile blood vessels and poor circulation can also contribute to these eye problems.

Coffee contains two important nutrients for preventing dark circles — caffeine and antioxidants. Interestingly, caffeine has anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce swelling around the eyes as well as stimulate blood circulation to prevent blood from pooling under them.

The antioxidants in coffee may also help fight free radicals that contribute to skin ageing.

Use coffee grinds in homemade candles

Coffee candles are easy to make. There are many types of wax available for candle making, but the easiest type to use for beginners is paraffin wax, which is widely available online and in craft stores. Paraffin wax gives good results when making candles and is easy to work with. You can also use beeswax if you prefer.

The trick to making these candles is to layer them with an even mix of coffee grounds and plain melted wax as you build up the candle. This gives them a great look, but also helps keep the candle burning evenly down through all the layers. As the candles burn down, the grounds become exposed and the heat releases the rich coffee aromas.

Keep mosquitoes away by burning coffee

There are plenty of ways to keep mosquitoes at bay during the summer: citronella candles, bug sprays, tiki torches and more. But if you’re out of those options and have a mosquito problem on your hands, try burning some coffee grounds.

It’s a cheap, easy and effective way to repel mosquitoes for hours.

The trick is simple: Start by drying the coffee grounds thoroughly, and then place a pile of them on a clay pot, baking tray or piece of aluminium foil. Light the grounds with a lighter or match, and let them slowly smoulder, much like incense. The smoke from slowly smouldering coffee grounds repels mosquitos like a citronella candle or tiki torch, but without having to buy either.

Coffee gives you more grip in the snow.

The city of Krakow in Poland has recently started spreading used coffee grinds on city footpaths to provide grip in the snow and ice.

The concept of using used coffee grounds to give pedestrians more traction in snowy and icy weather was adopted from Lviv, a city in western Ukraine, where a similar trial program was effective. In two different parks in Krakow, Poland’s second-largest city, coffee grinds are being scattered. Sand-treated paths will be clearly marked as distinct from ground-treated paths, giving pedestrians a choice.