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Do you ever have old coffee ground that you don’t want to use for brewing coffee or using in other recipes? You’re in luck! There are so many ways to use them that don’t involve eating them. You don’t even have to be an arts and craft genius to use old coffee grounds. Here are 10 creative ways to use old coffee grinds.
After you brew that nourishing pot of coffee, why not use the leftover grinds to nourish your skin? A good exfoliating scrub can leave your skin feeling smooth and clean, and looking healthier. Coffee has antioxidants, which can support the production of collagen. That’s the protein that keeps your skin elastic and youthful looking.
You can choose your combination of ingredients to use with the coffee grinds in your scrub. A basic formula may have coffee grinds, brown sugar, and coconut oil. You can use a different kind of oil, and white sugar is also okay instead of brown. You can also swap salt for sugar as the ingredient that does the exfoliating. Oatmeal and vanilla extract can also be common ingredients.
To exfoliate, rub the mixture on your skin and then gently wipe it away. The experience can be rejuvenating, especially if you love the smell of coffee and use a kind that is intense and deep, such as Alex’s Low-Acid Organic Coffee. You can also add coffee grounds to shampoo and conditioner as a way to expose your hair to nutrients and to make your shower experience even better.
Always be sure to do a patch test before using a new skincare product, even if it’s homemade. Just use a bit on a small area of skin and check for any signs of a reaction, such as itching, redness, a rash, or swelling.
Most people have heard of using baking soda to neutralize odors. It is common to place it in the refrigerator, pantry, and bathroom, and to use it as a gentle cleaner. Coffee grinds may be able to eliminate bad smells, too.
To use coffee grinds to overcome bad smells, just sprinkle them in the area that you are concerned about. The garbage disposal, kitchen sinks, and garbage cans are also possible places to consider using old coffee grinds so you do not have to smell their strong odors.
Coffee is a nutrient-rich substance. It has nutrients that are also in fertilizer and that can support the growth of plants. Minerals in coffee include potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, and some trace minerals.
Fertilizer that is too acidic is not ideal for gardens and healthy yards, and coffee is an acidic beverage. However, you can reduce the acidity of the coffee grinds that you use in your yard by using Alex’s Low-Acid Organic Coffee, which has less chlorogenic acid than the average of some leading national brands. It is also important to realize that when you brew your coffee, it will be less acidic than if you were simply putting fresh, dried coffee grinds straight onto the soil.
To add coffee to soil, first be sure that it is wet enough. You can mix the used grinds with some water before sprinkling them onto the soil. Then gently rake them into the top layer of the soil and be sure to water the area, just like you would after applying fertilizer.
You may think of composting as only for items such as eggshells, fruit, and vegetables, But that’s not true. You can also add coffee grinds, and even used coffee filters. Grass clippings are another good ingredient in the “green” category for composting.
You also need some “brown” ingredients, such as dead branches and twigs, and dead leaves. Finally, water is necessary for the proper reactions to occur. Don’t forget that you can add other components, such as shells of nuts and peanuts, shredded newspaper and cardboard, houseplants, and wood chips. Worms may especially like the addition of coffee.
Insects are attracted to scents that your body produces. If you are among the segment of the population that has a scent that insects like, you know the value of an insect repellent. And if you have ever had a reaction to a synthetic repellent, you may be interested in trying natural options.
Coffee grinds give off a strong scent that insects may not find as attractive as your body’s natural scent. Burning them makes them smell stronger, which makes them less desirable to insects. If you want to eat outside in the summertime, you can try burning coffee grinds in a small bowl near your dining area just like you would burn incense.
This tip is about the rough texture of coffee grinds. These hearty grinds can overcome dirt on pots, pans, and appliances. Give them a good scrub until they are shiny and appear new. You get to smell delicious coffee and not questionable chemicals while you’re cleaning! Then, be sure to rinse the surfaces when you’re finished to get rid of excess old coffee grinds.
The shades of brown that you might see in coffee grinds are arguably some of the most beautiful colors in the world. They can be dark, intense, earthy, and calming. Why not use them for more than just throwing them away?
Coffee grounds can be used instead of potentially toxic dyes that are laden with synthetic chemicals. To dye fabric using coffee grinds, for example, brew several pots of coffee. You will need a lot of grinds! It is best to make sure that you have enough grounds to easily cover the entire surface. It is good to wash new fabrics before dying them to get rid of excess oils that may repel the color of the coffee grounds.
As a bonus, you can savor the fragrance of coffee while you are dying your items. Take deep breaths without worrying about inhaling fumes from chemicals.
Just like you can use coffee grounds to make pots and pans look like new, you can use them to buff furniture. Wouldn’t it be nice if your favorite furniture did not have any scratches anymore, and you could get rid of them with a natural solution?
Coffee grounds can help buff furniture due to their rough but not unforgiving texture. Use a Q-tip to get some coffee grounds. Then gently go over the target area on the furniture until it looks smoother, and wipe away the coffee.
All you need to make scented coffee candles are old coffee grounds, wax, a mold, and a candle wick. Soap is similarly easy. That way, you can give yourself a luxury spa experience anytime!
You can turn your scented products into desirable gifts by personalizing them. For example, you can choose from any number of molds that are in shapes that the recipient will love. You can also add some scented oils to complement the coffee scent. For example, chocolate, cinnamon, and citrus oil extracts can lead to amazingly fragrant and irresistible final scents that a recipient will treasure.
Okay, this one is related to consuming the coffee grinds, even though we didn’t intend for that to happen. But coffee tastes too good to pass up this opportunity, especially when you use Alex’s Low-Acid Organic Coffee! With a lower acid content, you can use it to boost flavor without worrying about it bothering the stomach or causing acid reflux due to a high acid content.
There are infinite ways to add coffee to foods. When baking, coffee deepens the flavor of chocolate, making it ideal for chocolate cakes, chocolate brownies, and chocolate sauces. Coffee is also good for adding complexity to marinades for meat and stews.
Now that you know how to use old coffee grounds, there’s no need to worry about purchasing too much, or grinding more whole beans than you need. There’s always some productive way to use them. That makes it worth buying the larger packages of Whole Bean or Fresh Ground Coffee when you’re purchasing it from a source such as Alex’s Low-Acid Organic Coffee.