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Save those Gorgeous Grounds: Reusing Coffee Grounds Can Save You Money!

July 4, 2019 by jlpenner 9 Comments

If you are a coffee drinker, chances are you see a lot of coffee grounds go into the trash! You may not have found any use for these dark, wet grounds, and figured into the garbage can or maybe compost pile was the only place to go. But think again! Did you know that reusing coffee grounds has a bunch of practical uses you may not even know about?

Take a peek below at the top ten uses for old coffee grounds from your coffee maker. Next time, you won’t want to pitch them you can actually reuse them!

10 Uses for Coffee Grounds:

1. Banish smelly hands.
Get rid of cooking odor on your skin by rubbing a handful of used coffee grounds on your hands and rinsing with warm water.

2. Make compost.
Coffee grounds are rich in phosphorous, potassium, magnesium and copper. If you want, just ask for used grounds for free at your local coffee shop.

3.Repel ants.
Sprinkle dry, used coffee grounds in problem areas where you notice ants in your home or yard and they will  just pick up and leave.

Also see: Should I Dumpster Dive? Would You?

4.Kill fridge odor.
If your fridge is full of foul odors, place a bowl of fresh, unused coffee grounds inside and leave it for a day or two. The coffee will absorb the odors and leave your fridge smelling fresh.

5. Get shiny hair.
Brew up an extra-strong pot, let it cool and apply it to your dry, clean hair. Leave it on for at least twenty minutes, then rinse. Keep it up once a week or so for best results.

6. Fertilize plants.
Azaleas, blueberry shrubs and rhododendrons are just a few of the plants that flourish when treated with coffee thanks to all those nutrients. You can also dilute the leftover coffee in your mug and pour it right into your potted plants.

7. Keep cats out of your garden.
By sprinkling used coffee grounds on the soil, and cats will want nothing to do with it.

8. Repel fleas.
Rub used, damp coffee grounds through your pet’s fur after bathing to repel fleas.

9. Repair furniture scratches.
Scratches on wood furniture disappear by simply rubbing in a little bit of instant coffee dampened into a paste with hot water. Repeat if necessary.

10. Scrub.
Mildly abrasive, coffee grounds are great for scrubbing surfaces like cooking ranges and refrigerators. Use them alone or mix them with a little dish soap.

As you can see, your old and previously worthless coffee grounds are worth their weight in gold! So don’t toss them, save them! They can replace many other products around your house that would otherwise cost you precious money. The best part? Coffee grounds are free!

Skip buying pest repellents, scrubs, fertilizers, and cleaning products. Instead, try reusing coffee grounds a try and see what they can do for you!

Reusing Coffee Grounds

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Comments

  1. Ally says

    May 15, 2013 at 12:07 pm

    What a nice little list of things to do with coffee grounds. I'll never throw them away ever again. Thanks for sharing.
    Reply
  2. Noelle says

    November 15, 2013 at 5:55 pm

    I don't really know why, but my Grandpa used to put Earth worms in used coffee grounds the night before he went fishing.
    Reply
  3. Andi says

    August 11, 2015 at 12:29 pm

    Just 2 thoughts... #7 "Cats hate coffee grounds"... #8 ... but they make great flea repellant if you rub some all over them! (Oh... poor cat!) And #4 isn't really a re-use, more of a waste, unless you turn around and use those grounds for #5, which doesn't specify about use or reuse. (I'm assuming nobody wants to drink Funky-Fridge flavored coffee.) Baking soda for odor absorption would be way cheaper!
    Reply
  4. Ebony Reagan says

    October 14, 2015 at 1:13 pm

    That's very interesting that it's so commonly thrown away as garbage yet there's so many uses for it! I've also heard of a cellulite treatment involving coffee. You'll need: Coffee grounds Moisturizer Black coffee Cling wrap Mix the coffee grounds and moisturizer and black coffee together in to a paste. Rub the paste on the area needing to be treated. Then wrap with cling wrap and leave it for 15 minutes. Coffee is a diarrhetic which releases water so it releases the water from your cells which gets the toxins moving relieving the appearance of cellulite. http://simpleandself.blogspot.ca
    Reply
    • Chelsea says

      January 15, 2016 at 2:26 pm

      Ebony, there is no such thing as a cellulite treatment, not even weight loss. The only way to rid yourself of cellulite is to wear loose fitting clothes. Drinking strong coffee helps one sweat and detox the body which does help with adding fat in the wrong places. Dimples in the fat, which is cellulite, are caused from restricted blood flow through the fat layers. That's why women have it mostly on the thighs and bum because of tight pants and elastic underwear legs. That's why there is a new trend for ladies to wear boy shorts and the wider bikini bottoms or even high waist bottoms. All those bikinis from the 60s cut off free circulation especially when sitting. Studies have disproved that cellulite is caused by fat alone or sluggish liver issues. That's why some really large ladies have no cellulite at all. It's blood flow. I used to have cellulite on the top of my thighs when I was a size 5. Now I'm a chubby chick with no cellulite at all. I wear loose clothes now. As for coffee grounds... Best use so far other than compost / fertilizer.... getting rid of slugs. They hate to creep over the grounds even if it's just a few. They will turn around and go the other way. Put a ring of grounds around your plants and protect them from slugs that eat your cabbage and lettuce.
      Reply
  5. Shelli says

    December 27, 2015 at 4:56 pm

    You can also "waste" unwanted medications in used dried or wet coffee grounds. It neutralizes narcotics and most other medications. Just make sure you add water to the dry coffee grounds into a plastic baggy and throw in the trash, never down the sink or in the toilet.
    Reply
  6. Ridh2911 says

    May 1, 2016 at 11:04 pm

    Do make a body scrub from used coffee grounds, by mixing coffee with olive oil, coconut oil, salt and sugar. I use it many times when I brew coffee! Leaves your skin with a natural softness. Despite of dry skin, I don't need to use body lotion when I take bath post scrubbing with this mix...
    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 9 Ways to Save on Your Coffee Habit | eHow Money Blog says:
    October 23, 2014 at 10:06 am
    […] Reuse old coffee grounds. I recently discovered (courtesy of Pinterest) that old coffee grounds can be used to fertilize plants, repel fleas and kill fridge odors, among other […]
    Reply
  2. 9 Ways to Save on Your Coffee Habit | john kendricks thoughts says:
    October 26, 2014 at 2:34 am
    […] Reuse old coffee grounds. I recently discovered (courtesy of Pinterest) that old coffee grounds can be used to fertilize plants, repel fleas and kill fridge odors, among other […]
    Reply

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