10 Uses for Coffee Grounds

What do you do with the grounds from your morning pot (or two) of coffee? Do you simply toss them into the trash and forget about them?

Here are ten ways to "reuse" coffee grounds. Not only is it frugal, and smart, but you will be helping the environment by creating less waste.

10 uses for coffee grounds #1

Winter is almost here and it is time to fertilize your plants. Money does not need to be spent on fancy fertilizers. Simply pour your used coffee grounds over your plants. Do twice weekly and your plants will show their love with new growth and blooms.

10 uses for coffee grounds #2

Are you crafty? Do you like the look of parchment paper that looks antiqued? Simply steep ¼ cup used coffee grounds in with two cups hot water for five minutes. Then pour into a pan and place the parchment paper crumpled up in it. Flatten the paper, take out and let dry overnight. In the morning you will see a lovely antiqued piece of parchment paper. Perfect for scrapbooking.

10 uses for coffee grounds #3

Is your fireplace all ashy? Prior to making more of a mess when cleaning the ashes, sprinkle the fireplace with wet coffee grounds. This makes the ashes easier to clean (wipe) up. Moreover, the wetness will cut down on the ash and dust from distributing in the air throughout your room.

10 uses for coffee grounds #4

Have you ever opened your freezer, only to be confronted with a smell of spoiled food? Nasty is it not? To rid your freezer of such an unpleasant odor, fill two bowls with used (or even fresh) coffee grounds and place them in your freezer overnight. In the morning, take the bowls out (use those grounds a third time as a plant fertilizer) and the ugly aroma will be gone.

10 uses for coffee grounds #5

Are you a meat eater? I am. One of the easiest ways to tenderize tough cuts of meat is to add coffee to the marinade. The tannic acid in the coffee grounds break down tough muscle fibers in meat cuts, thereby making the meat tender. In addition to acting as a tenderizer, coffee grounds will enhance the meats taste!

10 uses for coffee grounds #6

Do you wear a lot of black? I do not ( it washes me out) but a friend of mine does and a trick she told to me is to brew ten cups of coffee and then pour the liquid ( not the grounds this time) into the washing machine with a load of black colored clothing. She is adamant that this keeps her black clothes from fading. (And again, you can use the used grounds to fertilize your plants)

10 uses for coffee grounds #7

Do you have outside feral cats that love to use your garden as a litter box? Add some grounds with a few orange peels and sprinkle over your garden. Not only are you fertilizing your plants, but you are creating a deterrent for kitties. Most cats do not like the citrus smell of oranges not the pungent smell of coffee as a friendly place to conduct their business.

10 uses for coffee grounds #8

Do you enjoy fishing? Rather than leave that coffee pot full of used grounds until your return home from a day of fishing, empty the grounds into a tin can filled with soil. The grounds can keep bait worms alive all day.

10 uses for coffee grounds #9

Before your kitchen drain becomes clogged, coffee grounds can be used as a preventative. Once a week pour used coffee grounds down the drain, followed with four cups of hot water. The grounds will scrape away gunk before it becomes a full fledged clog.

10 uses for coffee grounds #10

Is cellulite a bother for you? Combine 1 cup of used coffee grounds with 2/3 cup olive oil and massage into your problem area for two minutes. Rinse off with warm water. Not to mention the graininess of the grounds acts as an exfoliate, sloughing off dread skin cells, leaving behind soft and supple skin.

Not a coffee drinker, but these ideas appeal to you? At your local Starbucks, ask for their old coffee grounds. They have been known to give them away.