I love the challenge of using up every last bit of something. There are so many amazing things you can create from items most people just throw away. For example, you can make nutrient-rich bone broth from leftover roasted chicken or turn old scarves and brown paper grocery bags into eco-friendly gift wrap. Buying these things new can be pricey, so it’s a win-win situation when you reuse them!
Another fantastic recycling opportunity is with used coffee grounds, which have tons of uses you might not have thought of. Many people are so focused on their morning coffee that they toss the grounds without a second thought. But before you do that, consider putting them to good use with these ideas.
If you’re not a coffee drinker but want to try any of these ideas, just take a clean container to your local coffee shop or Starbucks and ask if they’ll save you some used grounds. Chances are, they’ll be happy to help if you ask nicely!
For a refreshing shower routine, keep some coffee grounds on hand for an afternoon pick-me-up. They can make your hair shiny, work as a body scrub, or be a key ingredient in your next batch of homemade soap. When switching to natural shampoo, some people notice build-up on their hair as the scalp adjusts to fewer chemicals. Used coffee grounds can help remove this build-up. Just wet your hair, massage in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of grounds, rinse, and wash with your natural shampoo. You might be surprised by how light and shiny your hair feels!
For those with blonde or color-treated hair, test a small area before doing a full exfoliation to ensure the coffee doesn’t alter your hair color. Coffee grounds also make a terrific body scrub. They slough off dead skin cells and can even help reduce cellulite because caffeine tightens the skin. If you’ve tried a Vanilla Latte Sugar Scrub, you’ll know how invigorating it can be. It’s important to use dry coffee for this, as wet grounds can spoil.
Coffee grounds are a great addition to homemade soap, offering the same cellulite-fighting benefits. Add 1-2 teaspoons of grounds per pound of soap for an extra invigorating bar.
In the garden, used coffee grounds are closer to neutral than coffee itself due to most acidity being washed out during brewing, making them excellent for gardening. Composting with coffee grounds enriches the soil and is easy to do. They should be part of the green matter in your compost and should not exceed 25% of the mix. Add other materials like grass clippings and eggshells, and even used coffee filters, which are biodegradable.
To boost soil nitrogen, mix grounds into the garden soil’s top layer. They aerate the soil and nourish plants, particularly acid-loving ones like hydrangeas and azaleas. Earthworms adore coffee grounds, aiding in breaking down organic matter and moving nutrients into the soil. Coffee grounds also repel garden pests like slugs and snails—scatter them around your plants to create an effective barrier.
If you love mushrooms, you can grow them at home using coffee grounds, which is both convenient and fun. On the cleaning front, used grounds can help neutralize odors and even make fireplace cleaning easier. Place a bowl of grounds in the fridge to absorb odors and swap monthly, then add the grounds to your compost.
For cooking smells on your hands, particularly from onions or garlic, rub in some used coffee grounds to remove the odor. If you run out of salt to melt ice, coffee grounds work just as well with their gritty texture and acidity. They can deodorize a garbage disposal—just use a tiny amount to prevent clogging—and even help clean cookware by scraping away stubborn food residue.
Old coffee grounds are perfect for cleaning ashes from fireplaces, as their dampness reduces airborne ash. Got a pet with fleas? After a good shampoo, rub coffee grounds through your pet’s fur to repel fleas—just be cautious and speak to your vet if it doesn’t work as expected.
For creative projects, use coffee grounds to give paper an antique look. Boil water, add grounds, let it sit, and paint it onto paper. This can add an interesting visual texture for scrapbooking or creating a treasure map.
Kids can get crafty too by making fossils from coffee grounds dough, sticks, and leaves. Mix used coffee grounds, cold coffee, salt, and flour to form patties that your kids can impress with nature objects or toy dinosaurs.
Do you already repurpose used coffee grounds? Feel free to share any ideas I might have missed!
