Reusing coffee grounds – the best tips
After the coffee has been consumed, the coffee grounds usually end up in the trash. Few people know how versatile the leftover coffee grounds are. Long ago they were valued by homemakers for their effectiveness and were by no means regarded as waste. Coffee grounds can be used in the bathroom, kitchen and garden and are a genuine multipurpose material!
How to reuse coffee grounds
To prevent the coffee grounds from molding before use, you must dry them thoroughly first. Simply spread them thinly on a large plate or baking sheet and leave them in the open air for several hours. Stir and redistribute them from time to time so that no moisture remains unnoticed. Once the grounds are completely dry, you can store them in a closed container and collect them for a longer period.
Coffee grounds in the garden
If you don’t want the old coffee to end up in the residual waste, it is often thrown on the compost. There it does good service, usually unnoticed. But its use in the garden goes further.
Coffee grounds as fertilizer and compost
Coffee contains many nutrients that are beneficial to plants — for example potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus. You can therefore use coffee grounds very well as fertilizer for balcony plants and vegetables. This fertilizer is especially beneficial for plants whose leaves are yellowing. Simply mix a handful of coffee grounds into the soil when repotting. To prevent mold, the soil and grounds must be well mixed. The garden compost also benefits from coffee grounds because they attract earthworms, which process, loosen and mix the compost. Many worms make good compost, so you should definitely use this tip.
Coffee grounds as pest control
While earthworms are welcome guests in the garden, the situation is quite different with slugs. Slugs eat your carefully grown lettuce and vegetables. You can, of course, keep them away with coffee grounds. Coffee acts as a neurotoxin to slugs, so they avoid it. Simply sprinkle a ring around your plants and the slugs will stay away.
You can also stop ant trails with coffee because the scent masks their own scent trails and confuses them. And against aphids you can mix coffee 1:1 with water and spray the affected plants. To avoid wasting good coffee, simply reboil the used coffee grounds — the coffee does not have to taste good for this purpose.
Natural care with coffee grounds
Used coffee grounds also deliver a lot in personal care, replacing products that would otherwise be expensive. They can be used directly after brewing, while still moist, or dried and stored for later use.
Coffee scrub
You don’t have to buy an expensive body scrub; you can simply make it yourself. Ground coffee has exactly the right grit to be effective yet gentle. Since the coffee grounds were boiled, there are no sharp edges because the granulate has softened. Mixed with a little coconut oil (or another vegetable oil of your choice), rub your skin with it in the shower. And just like that you have a wonderful scrub that also smells great.
Coffee rinse
After washing your hair you can use coffee grounds as a rinse; your hair will become stronger and shinier. If you have curly hair, it’s better to use coffee grounds that have been boiled again and strain out the powder. Otherwise you may find the granules harder to remove from your hair. You should only apply coffee treatments to brown or black hair, because blonde hair may become slightly darker after application.
Coffee grounds in the household
For hundreds of years used coffee grounds have been used in the household as a multifunctional agent. In the past no one would have thought to simply discard them. If you revive these proven household tips, you can save a lot of time and money.
Coffee grounds as a cleaning agent
Buying expensive scouring cream? That’s a thing of the past. From now on you can simply use your coffee grounds as scouring powder. Put some on a damp sponge and clean with it. Oven, grill, burnt-on pots — the coffee granulate cleans it all. Scratches in dark wooden furniture are also reduced, because the granulate fills them. And you can polish glass and stainless steel with the coffee grounds.
Coffee grounds for odor control
Even someone who doesn’t drink coffee will probably prefer its scent to the various odors that can develop in a home. Does the refrigerator smell of stale air? A bowl with coffee grounds in it solves the problem. Can’t get the bad smell out of bins? Put coffee grounds in, close the lid and leave overnight. The coffee grounds bind many unpleasant odors. You can also sprinkle them into musty shoes to help air them out. And after cutting onions or garlic, instead of using soap you can wash your hands with a little coffee grounds to remove the smell.
Dyeing with coffee grounds
With coffee grounds you can also dye textiles. You no longer need to buy chemical textile dyes with questionable ingredients. Simply boil the coffee grounds again and soak the fabric in them. The longer the fabric remains in the dye bath, the stronger the shade will be. After a short time you will achieve a light beige or light brown; left overnight you can also achieve a richer brown. If you want the color to last longer in the fabric, you can pre-treat the fabric in a vinegar bath.