Top 10 Uses For Used Coffee Grounds

By DIY Maven

10. 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.

9. 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.

8. Insect repellant. 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.

7. Dye. By steeping grounds in hot water, you can make brown dye for fabric, paper and even Easter eggs.

6. Furniture scratch cover-up. Steep grounds and apply a bit of the liquid to furniture scratches with a Q-tip.

5. Cleaning product. As they’re slightly abrasive, grounds can be used as a scouring agent for greasy and grimy stain-resistant objects.

4. Kitty repellent. To keep kitty from using the garden as her personal powder room, sprinkle grounds mixed with orange peels around your plants.

3. Flea dip. Follow up Fido’s shampoo with a coffee ground rub down, working them down to his skin. Not only are the fleas suppose to vamoose, but puppy’s hair will feel soft too.

2. 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 #1 use for used coffee grounds....drum roll here....

Cellulite reducer. Mix 1/4 cup warm, used coffee grounds and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. While standing over an old towel or newspaper, apply the mixture to your "problem areas". Next, wrap the areas with shrink wrap and leave on for several minutes. Unwind the wrap, brush loose grounds off your 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 have coffee in them, it just might work.

For even more uses of spent coffee grounds, visit cocoajava.com, essortment.com, rd.com and finally, mrsomalleys.com, who, if #1 works, should not have one jot of cellulite on her thighs. And if you have any secret uses for your used grounds, please share!

(Coffee magnet pictured above available through AllPosters.com for $4.99)

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coffee how-to cleaning alternative_uses

June 22, 2007

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cindyAtStaged4more

August 08, 2007

huh. i only know #10 & 9 since my parents do that. *but make sure you dry the grounds or they can get moldy. ;( i love these tips. i will definitely try #6.

cheers,

cindy

greenbriel

July 23, 2007

You can also fruit mushrooms on old grounds. A company called Fungi Perfecti has a strain of oyster mushroom called the Espresso Oyster Mushroom Patch that's been developed to do particularly well on grounds.

threadbanger

June 27, 2007

Hey guys! We tried out step # 7 and dyed some of our own jeans in coffee to give it a vintage look. Check out our Curbly How To: http://www.curbly.com/threadbanger/posts/1517-DIY-Vintage-Jeans-Coffee-style-