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Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in America – second to water. Usually when you make a nice cup in the morning, you habitually toss the grounds into the trash without giving a second thought. But, it turns out that there are many things you can do with the used coffee grounds. So, before you throw away those grounds, give one of these designs a try.

Uses For Your Garden

There is a common misconception that coffee grounds are acidic but the acid in coffee is water-soluble. Used grounds are actually closer to neutral because most of the acidity is washed-away after the coffee is brewed.

1. Compost Your Grounds

Composting is very easy to do. Coffee grounds are green matter for compost and should not make more than 20% of your pile. The grounds also add nitrogen, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium to your compost pile. If you are just adding grounds from your personal consumption you shouldn’t have to worry about adding too much to your pile. You can also go ahead and toss in the used coffee filter to the pile because it’s considered compostable.

2. Add Grounds to Your Soil

For your garden, scatter around the grounds over the soil. Coffee grounds improve soil tilth or structure. The benefit of using coffee grounds as a fertilizer is that it adds organic material to the soil which improves aeration, drainage, water retention as well as giving your plants a nitrogen boost.

3. Attract Earthworms

Worms are garden helpers and by adding coffee grounds to your soil, you will be able to attract more of them.

4. Keeps the Snails Away

Snails and slugs can be pests when it comes to garden, however they do not like coffee grounds. Create a barrier around the plants that are susceptible to snails and slugs. The coffee grounds gritty texture is effective at preventing them.

5. Prevent Fungal Infection

Coffee grounds can help prevent certain types of fungus from attacking your plants. Fungi species like Pythium, Sclerotinia, and Pythium can be prevented with the sprinkling of coffee grounds around your plants. Peppers, tomatoes, blueberries and eggplants are especially vulnerable to fungal infections, so coffee grounds can be great for these plants. 

6. Grow Tomatoes

Growing tomatoes can be easily done, especially if you live in a sunny state like California. Here is how you fertilize tomato plants with coffee grounds. 

Beauty Routine

There are many ways you can re-use coffee grounds in your beauty products. Listed below are some ideas you can do at home. 

7. Hair

Coffee grounds can be great for exfoliating your hair.

What to Do:

Use ¼ cup to ½ cup used coffee grounds, depending on your hair length. While you’re in the shower, wet your hair thoroughly. Take the coffee grounds and massage your hair focusing more on your scalp area. It helps to part your hair and work in sections.

Once you have covered your whole scalp area, wet the hair again. Don’t try to rinse the coffee grounds out because it won’t work. You will need your shampoo to rinse it all out. A second shampooing may be needed. Finish with your normal conditioner. Your hair will feel light and shiny after your first application. The caffeine can help stimulate new hair growth as well.

Note: Repeat once a month or as needed. For those with light or color-treated hair, you may want to do a test in an inconspicuous area. Sometimes coffee grounds can dye your hair.

8. Combat Cellulite Appearance

Coffee grounds can help reduce cellulite appearance because the caffeine has a tightening effect on the skin.

Here’s how to make a coffee ground scrub:

• ¼ cup coffee grounds
• ¼ cup sea salt
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil

Mix the coffee grounds and sea salt together in a small bowl. You can either melt the coconut oil or mash it in the mix.

How to Use:

In the shower, take 1-2 tablespoons of the scrub and lather it into your skin using firm pressure. Focus on the areas that you want more firm such as legs, belly, and arms. Repeat 2-3 times a week. This amount should be enough for about 6 applications. It’s best to store this mixture in the fridge for up to two weeks.

9. Skin Exfoliator

Used coffee grounds can make an excellent facial exfoliant, gently slouching off dead skin cells to reveal the fresh, healthy looking skin underneath.

Here’s a simple facial scrub:

• 4 tablespoons of either coconut or olive oil
• 6 tablespoons used coffee grounds
• 2-3 drops tea tree oil (optional)

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an air tight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator. This mixture will last for 2-3 weeks.

How to Use:

Scoop 1 tablespoon and gently buff in circular motion on face.

10. Make a Mask

The stimulating effect of caffeine can perk up dull looking skin. So, by using used coffee grounds in a facial mask will help do the trick. Try this slathering Cocoa and Coffee Facial Mask recipe, and relax with your favorite book and cup of joe. 

Around Your Home

11. Absorbs Food Odors

Used coffee grounds can be used much like baking soda for absorbing food orders in the freezer or refrigerator. Just place the used coffee ground in a small open container and place in the back of the fridge. Replace the grounds after a month, but don’t just through the grounds away! After you remove the coffee grounds from the refrigerator or freezer, toss them into your compost pile or use them as a fertilizer.

12. Removes Odors from Hands

If you been working with fish, onions, garlic or any other pungent food smells, rubbing your hands with used coffee grounds will remove any lingering smells.

13. Fireplace Clean-Up

If you have a wood-burning fireplace, used coffee grounds will help you a lot when it comes to the clean-up. When it is time to clean out those ashes from your fireplace, just simply cover them with a layer of damped coffee grounds to weigh down the ashes and prevent clouds of smoke that often arise when performing this arduous task. Shoveling out the ashes will be become a lot easier.

14. Natural Abrasive

Sprinkle old coffee grounds onto an old cleaning cloth and use them to scrub away stuck-on food from counter tops and dishes.  While used coffee grounds are abrasive, they aren’t so harsh that they will damage the surfaces of your kitchen.

Arts and Crafts

15. Golden Dye

If you have ever spilled coffee on a white shirt, then you’ll know what the golden dye looks like. Turn that pesky coffee stain and turn it into a creation. Re-wet used coffee grounds and use them to dye surfaces such as cloth, Easter eggs, feathers, even plain paper. Used coffee grounds can turn boring white paper into antique parchment paper. Simply paint your paper with coffee water and dry with a hair dryer.

How do you reuse used coffee grounds? Please share below!