Do you like drinking coffee and are wondering what you can do with all the coffee grounds? Unfortunately, coffee cannot be brewed several times like good tea, but luckily there are a few other ways to give coffee grounds a second life.
Use as fertilizer
Let the coffee grounds dry on a plate or baking tray and use them as fertilizer for your houseplants. They contain valuable substances such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, which your plants will enjoy. Simply place a few coffee grounds under the soil of your potted plant. This also works well in the garden and has the practical side effect that the coffee grounds attract earthworms, which dig up and loosen the soil, and also keep away voracious snails.
Repel wasps
In addition to snails, wasps can also be quite annoying pests. If you find it too much, you can pile up dry coffee grounds in a bowl and light them. The resulting smoke smells pleasant to people, but wasps flee.
Eliminate unpleasant odors
Have you ever let something burn and had the acrid smell in your apartment for days? This pest can also be calmed down with a bowl of, in this case, freshly ground coffee powder. The intense aroma of the coffee not only masks it, but coffee also absorbs foreign odors very quickly, thus neutralizing the unpleasant burning smell.
The same applies to the fridge. Admittedly, cheeses that really "smell" often taste the best, but opening the fridge can sometimes make you feel dizzy. A bowl of fresh coffee grounds in the fridge helps.
And shoes can also smell like the refrigerator or the products mentioned in it. Sprinkle some dry coffee grounds into your shoes and leave them to soak overnight and it can work wonders. Don't forget to shake them out before putting them on.
The wonderful smell of coffee can do something else. After cutting onions or garlic, it not only neutralizes the smell on your fingers, but also on the cutting board. Briefly rub your fingers with coffee grounds. Rub the board, leave it to work for a moment and rinse as usual.
Cleaning pots and pans
Similar to scouring powder, coffee grounds can be used as a cleaning agent for dirty pans and pots. Simply use them with a sponge like scouring powder. Just be careful with sensitive surfaces such as non-stick coatings or glass ceramic.
Use as a peeling
It's not just dishes that can use a little scrubbing, your own body can do with a little scrubbing sometimes too. If you mix coffee grounds with a little olive oil to make a paste, you get a quick, natural scrub for your face and body - and an extra energy boost in the morning too.
Make eye ointment
Homemade eye ointment made from coffee grounds is also helpful for a fresh look in the morning. The caffeine stimulates circulation and tightens the morning swelling around the eyes. To do this, take equal parts of coffee grounds and coconut oil, and half as much olive oil, for example 2 tablespoons of coffee grounds, 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Heat the coffee grounds in a pan with the olive oil and about half of the coconut oil until the coconut oil has liquefied. Then let the mixture steep for half an hour. Then strain the paste through a fine sieve and mix in the rest of the coconut oil. Stored in a jar in the fridge, the beauty product will last for a few weeks and will further increase the cooling, refreshing effect.
Repairing dark wooden furniture
The most satisfying trick of all comes at the end. Coffee grounds can magically remove small scratches or dents on dark wooden furniture. It's incredibly easy and really fun. Simply moisten the coffee grounds a little and rub them onto the relevant spots on the piece of furniture. The coffee oil is absorbed into the wood and the coffee grounds particles fill the grooves. The dent is invisible in no time.
Using coffee grounds - Conclusion
These are all very simple, quick ways to reuse coffee grounds. If you want to go a little further, you can also make your own soap, shampoo or conditioner with coffee grounds. There are also companies that make flower pots or even dishes out of coffee grounds. Pressed into briquettes, coffee grounds can be used as fuel and the coffee oil extracted from coffee grounds has even been tested as fuel for cars. As you can see, there are many ways to combine coffee enjoyment with additional benefits. Have fun experimenting and stay wild!
