1. Deodorizer. Dry them out on a cookie sheet and then put them in a bowl in your refrigerator or freezer, or rub them on your hands to get rid of food prep smells.
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2. Plant food. Plants such as rosebushes, azaleas, rhododendrons, evergreen and camellias that prefer acidic soils will appreciate the leftovers from your morning cup. Also, grounds can add nutrients to your compost bin.
3. Insect repellent. Sprinkle old grounds around places you don’t want ants, or on the ant piles themselves. The little buggers will move on or stay away. Used grounds are also said to repel snails and slugs.
4. Dye. By steeping grounds in hot water, you can make brown dye for fabric, paper and even Easter eggs.
5. Furniture scratch cover-up. Steep grounds and apply a bit of the liquid to furniture scratches with a Q-tip.
6. Cleaning product. As they’re slightly abrasive, grounds can be used as a scouring agent for greasy and grimy stain-resistant objects.
7. Kitty repellent. To keep kitty from using the garden as her personal powder room, sprinkle grounds mixed with orange peels around your plants.
8. Boost your carrot harvest. Mixing fresh grounds with the tiny seeds makes them easier to sow and may repel root maggots and other wee beasties.
9. Dust inhibitor. Before you clean out the fireplace, toss wet coffee grounds over the ashes to keep the ash dust under control.
And, finally, the top use for used coffee grounds….drum roll here….
10. Cellulite reducer. I kid you not. We’re supposed to mix 1/4 cup warm, used coffee grounds with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then, while standing over an old towel or newspaper, we’re to apply the mixture to our “problem areas”. Next, wrap the areas with shrink wrap and leave on for several minutes. Unwind the wrap, brush loose grounds off our skin and then shower with warm water. For best results, it is recommended to repeat this procedure twice a week. A little weird to be sure, but as high priced cellulite creams actually have coffee in them, it just might work.
For even more uses of spent coffee grounds, visit essortment.com and rd.com. And if you have any secret uses for your used grounds, please share!
Love learning about alternative uses for everyday things? Check out our Cheat Sheet section right here.
warm coffee grinds works as an excellent facial scrubs. The courseness of the grinds exfoliates dead skin while the caffeine stimulate. I have been doing this for years followed by slight dab of olive oil. At 60 years old I get many compliments on my skin.
You forgot to mention that used coffee grounds are also a creative source for biodiesel. 🙂 Check out Facebook.com/DeathOfAGasGuzzler