The hassle of coffee grounds is one well-known to any and every coffee drinker/lover/addict who likes to brew at home. I personally love finding new ways to reuse things I’d otherwise throw away, after all, who doesn’t like getting a better bang for your buck? So without further ado, enjoy a few suggestions on how to make some use of those pesky leftover coffee grounds.
Fertilize Your Plants
You can mix your coffee grounds directly into soil to provide important elements like potassium and phosphorus. They’re a great organic fertilizer and improve water retention, drainage, and aeration in the soil. If the grounds are naturally acidic, make sure to rinse them first or even add them to compost before using them.
Add Them To Your Compost
Just throw these onto your compost pile and the worms will take care of the rest. Worms will devour old coffee grounds, digest them, and in turn produce castings rich in nutrients.
Scrub Your Pots and Pans
The natural abrasiveness of coffee grounds is perfect from scrubbing up difficult surfaces. Be it grease or grime, this is an excellent organic method of getting the job done. Put some grounds on a dishrag and go to town on your pots, pans, or even your grill.
Hide Furniture Scratches
Yet another effortless DIY method. Leave the coffee grounds on the damaged area for 5-10 minutes and then remove them with a rag. The natural dark pigment in the coffee will help stain and polish scratches or marks on your wooden furniture.
Make A Meat Rub
This is excellent for various recipes using beef or pork. It’s recommended though that you use some sort of additional sweetener, like molasses or sugar (white or brown), to combat some of the coffee’s natural bitterness.
Get Rid of Onion and Garlic Smells On Your Hands
Unfortunately, dealing with ingredients such as these tend to leave a smell that can stick around for a long, long time. If you’re having a hard go of freeing yourself of the garlic aroma, try using coffee grounds as a sort of hand scrub.
Keep A Bowl In Your Fridge
Much like the tip listed above, coffee grounds can be a lifesaver for your refrigerator as well as your hands. Place a bowl of dried out coffee grounds in your fridge, and they’ll happily absorb whatever’s been hanging around in there.