10 Uses for Coffee Grounds

Instead of throwing your coffee grounds away, why not put them to use about the house instead? There are several useful things you can do with your used grounds to get more for your money!

1. Fridge Deodorizer

You may have heard of putting a cut lemon and salt in your fridge to deodorize it, but why spend the extra money when you can simply put a bowl of dry coffee grounds in the fridge or freezer to neutralize any odors.

2. Get Grease and Grime off Your Dishware

It may seem strange, but if you put a few teaspoons of coffee grounds on a cleaning rag or paper towel, you can use them to scour off grease and grime from dishes and cookware. Rinse thoroughly afterwards.

3. Hide Scratches on Wood Furniture

If you dip a cotton swab into steeped grounds, you can dab onto scratches on dark wood furniture to make them less conspicuous. Make sure to test in a hidden area first.

4. Turn Your Paper Antique

If you want to give paper an antique patina, dip it into a soupy mix of coffee grounds and water. Allow the paper to sit for a minute or two, and then let them dry completely before brushing off the grounds.

5. Insect Repellent

If you’re a keen gardener, no doubt slugs and ants cause damage to your plants. Keep them away by mounding the grounds into a ring to make a protective border around plants. Grounds are also good for nourishing plants, too.

6. Turn Your Hydrangeas Blue

If you have pink mophead hydrangeas and you want them to turn bluer, put grounds into the soil at the base of the shrubs to increase the acidity level.

7. Cut the Dust When Cleaning up Ashes

If you have an open fire, you’ll know that cleaning out the ashes from the fireplace creates a huge amount of dust, which then goes all over your furniture. Cut down on this

airborne dust by sprinkling damp coffee grounds on the ashes before you remove them.

8. Remove Food Smells From Hands

If you have been preparing pungent foods like fish or garlic, the smell often lingers on your skin no matter how many times you wash your hands. Remove the offensive odors for good by rubbing a scoop of grounds between your hands before washing as normal.

9. Trap Cockroaches

Fill a can or jar with an inch or two of dampened coffee grounds, then line the container neck with extra sticky double-sided tape. The scent will draw the cockroaches into the trap, where they’ll stick.

10. Plant Fertilizer

As mentioned earlier, coffee grounds are good for helping plants to grow by giving them a nitrogen boost. Stir grounds into the soil or put in a watering can.