Coffee is a globally popular beverage. In the UK alone, more than 90 million cups of coffee are served daily. Also, the coffee industry has created employment for over 210,000 individuals in the region.
Why Reuse Coffee Grounds
You can imagine the sheer amount of coffee grounds that are thrown away every day. Yes, the coffee ground is organic, so it does not pose a threat to the environment. It will naturally decompose into the soil and provide the surrounding trees with essential minerals and nutrients.
But is there any better use of used coffee grounds? We will find it out in this article.
10 Creative Ways to Use Old Coffee Grounds
Fertilizer for your Garden
The first creative use for coffee grounds is as fertilizers. If you have a garden in your backyard, chances are the soil lacks the necessary nutrients and minerals for sustaining your plants.
Also, as plants grow, they absorb the existing nutrients from the soil. This absorption leaves the area completely depleted of nutrients and minerals after some time. This is why you need to supply the soil in your garden with nourishment from time to time.
But why should you use Coffee Ground? The first obvious reason is that coffee Ground is full of essential minerals for plant growth, such as nitrogen, potassium, calcium, chromium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, etc.
The second reason is, we throw away the coffee grounds after we are done brewing coffee. But even after brewing, the coffee grounds still retain some nutrients and minerals. So, why waste it?
Pest Control
Coffee contains caffeine and diterpenes. These two compounds are highly toxic for small insects. This toxicity is why you can use coffee grounds to repel small bugs, mosquitos, beetles, fruit flies, and many other harmful insects.
Sprinkle the coffee grounds around your home or your backyard. It is not necessary that you use fresh, dry coffee grounds. The left-over coffee rounds after every brew will also work perfectly.
Air Purifier
Did you know coffee grounds can help you kill the foul smell in your home? Coffee Grounds contain nitrogen, which is an effective chemical compound for eliminating foul odors from the air.
Place coffee grounds on one corner of the fridge to kill the bad smell of meat or fish. You can also put coffee grounds inside a net or a small box and turn it into a portable air freshener.
Skin Scrub
You can scrub your skin with coffee grounds to remove any dirt and dark spots. Coffee Ground contains small coarse particles. When you make a coffee scrub and apply it to your skin, it will quickly absorb the dirt particles.
Fight off Cellulite
Cellulite is a chemical compound that starts forming after a certain age. It hinders the blood flow in the skin, which results in lumps. It also causes the skin to swell up. As the blood vessels enlarge, the blood vessels become visible under the skin. This also causes dark circles under the eyes.
If you want to fight the development of cellulite in your skin, mix almond oil with coffee grounds and let it sit for a day. You can also add honey or avocado oil to the mixture. Take the scrub, and apply it to your skin. Wash it off after 15 minutes.
Hair Care
Did you know you can also use coffee as a scrub for your scalp? When we go out, our hair catches dirt. And if you do not wash them off, it might lead to hair fall.
But should you rely on only shampoo? Try using coffee grounds from today. Take some coffee grounds, and apply them to the scalp. Exfoliate the scalp with coffee. It will help you kill dead cells and stimulate hair growth.
Coffee Compost
If you cannot think of good use for the old coffee grounds in your home, you should consider composting them. Composting is a natural process that turns natural items, such as food scraps, into a dark, rich material. Compost is also referred to as hummus.
Compost will help the soil in your garden to absorb more nutrients and water. This will eventually help the plants grow faster and stay healthy.
Cloth Dye
Are you a fashion designer? Do you like thinking about new clothing ideas? Then you would love the following use of old coffee grounds.
Did you know you can turn old coffee grounds into natural dye? The coffee dye will help you achieve a vintage look. You can apply it on both paper and clothing. The advantage of using coffee as a dye is, it is not toxic like the traditional dye we see in supermarkets.
Cook Meat
The next use of old coffee grounds is in cooking, particularly in meat. Meat contains muscle fibers and protein. This gives the meat a tough and rigid texture. If you want to impress your guest or your spouse, you should always tenderize the meat.
The three most common types of meat tenderizers are enzymes, salt, and acid. And as Coffee ground is full of enzymes and acid, it is an entirely natural tenderizer when cooking meat.
Conclusion
Before we conclude, here is a quick tip for you. When you apply Coffee compost in your garden, know that it is high in acid. If you have plants in your garden that are not good at absorbing acid, you should avoid applying them to your garden.
However, certain plants love acids, such as radishes, carrots, blueberries, lilies, and azaleas.
