If you drink coffee every day, then you probably go through a lot of coffee ground. While these little grounds might not be useful for making more coffee, there are many ways to reuse them for your home, and beauty. When you’re done reusing them, place them in your compost to make some nutrient-rich soil.
1. Cellulite cream
“Cellulite is fibrous bands that go from the top of your skin to the fat layer, pulling it down,” says dermatologist Dr. Mona Gohara to Good Housekeeping Magazine. “Those bands need to be severed to make cellulite go away.” (1).
Caffeine can help speed along the process temporarily by improving circulation and boosting collagen production to plump up the skin and reduce the appearance of cellulite.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of coffee grounds
- 6 tbsp coconut oil
- 3 tbsp sea salt or sugar
Instructions:
- Place the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Melt the coconut oil and stir it in.
- Transfer the mixture to a glass jar with a rust-proof lid and store in your bathroom.
To use, dry brush your skin before hopping into the shower. This will help stimulate blood and lymph flow and get rid of dead skin. Halfway through your shower, turn off the water and grab a generous amount of the coffee ground mixture. Massage the scrub into your skin in a circular motion for a few minutes and rinse.
2. Hair Revitalizer
Revitalize dull brown hair by using coffee grounds to exfoliate your scalp before shampooing. Massage into your scalp for a few minutes and rinse thoroughly. The coffee will temporarily darken your hair color and brighten it up. The ground can also get rid of product build-up to boost volume and increase shine.
3. Under-Eye Cream
Like cellulite cream, eye cream often contains caffeine to open up your blood vessels and improve the appearance of dark circles.
To use, mix some moist ground with a bit of olive oil until it forms a paste. Apply the paste under your eyes without scrubbing. Leave for a few minutes and carefully rinse away. You can also place a bit of cooled coffee under your eyes and leave it for a few minutes before rinsing it away.
4. Grill-Cleaner
If you barbecue quite often, you probably have a pretty dirty grill. Scrubbing it regularly and soaking it in dish soap can only remove so much caked-on grime. Instead, grab a handful of used coffee ground and place it on the rough side of a kitchen sponge. Scrub the grill thoroughly and let the ground sit for 3o minutes. Rinse them away with warm water and wipe clean.
5. Odor Killer
Like baking soda, dried coffee ground can absorb humidity and unwanted odors. Simply lay your used grounds on a baking sheet and let them dry completely. Place the grounds in an open jar and keep it in your refrigerator or shoe closet to combat stink.
6. Cleaning Solution
To get rid of cooked-on grease and stuck-on grime, soak dishes in a sink full or hot water and coffee grounds for up to an hour. Use the grounds to scrub your pots and pans and wash and rinse as usual. They’ll look brand new!
7. Fertilizer
While fresh coffee grounds are more on the acidic side, used grounds are neutral and can benefit the health of your garden. They’re rich in nitrogen and potassium so feel free to mix some used grounds into your compost mix before planting up your garden (2).
8. Flea Fighter
To fight a flea infestation, collect your grounds and apply them to your pet’s freshly washed wet fur. Scrub it thoroughly into the coat and rinse it thoroughly before letting your dog’s fur dry completely. You may have to brush out some of the remaining grounds (3).
9. Wasp Repellent
Burning dry coffee ground can help repel wasps, mosquitoes, and other flying pests. To use, place the bone-dry grounds into an aluminum pie plate. To help it burn, combine with crumbled dried leaves or coals to help it burn longer. Light up the mixture and blow it out to keep it smoking. The fumes will drive away any pests for a few hours at a time (4).
10. Natural Pesticide
Adding used coffee grounds to your garden doesn’t just feed your plants, it also keeps ants, slugs, and snails at bay. Sprinkle them around the base of your plants to keep away cats, rabbits, and other creature that feed on your produce.