What to Do With Coffee Grounds ? Our Best Tips

What Can I Do with My Coffee Grounds?

Dumping it feels like a waste, and you’ve been wondering what to do with your coffee grounds for a while now. Ever since you’ve purchased a bean-to-cup coffee machine, you’ve been looking for a better use for your left-over coffee grounds. Don’t worry, we’re here to help you with that! Every year, an estimated 6 million tonnes of coffee grounds waste are produced worldwide. Yes, you’ve read that sentence right. And it doesn’t even take into account takeaway coffee cups, coffee pods or coffee filters. As everyone knows, ground coffee is a natural product. Therefore, it is a great shame to throw it away. Beyond the widespread use in compost, today I’m going to offer you some tips and tricks for reusing this wonderful product. There are a lot of ways to be creative with coffee grounds, so let’s get started! And just think: it’s not just coffee beans or ground coffee you can put in your compost bin. How about opening up your coffee capsules and ESE pods to recycle them?

For more information on how to recycle your coffee cups, coffee capsules and pods, don’t hesitate to check out the different ways to do it! Nespresso, among other coffee companies, are now tackling this problem, so don’t hesitate to check out their options as well as your local recycling facilities!

The Gardener’s Companion : Used Coffee Grounds for Plants

Many of us already put left-over coffee grounds in the compost bin with fruit and vegetable scraps. But did you know that coffee residue is actually an excellent compost activator? Rich in nitrogen, earthworms are particularly fond of it! It helps them digest and since they are sensitive to caffeine, it also makes them more active as they work on transforming organic matter into compost.

What to do with Coffee Grounds : Beauty Tips

If you’re a DIY beauty enthusiast, your used coffee grounds could become your best ally. I personally have more and more friends who want to go “chemical-free”. In other words, to get rid of beauty creams and other products crammed full of unpronounceable ingredients, but without missing out on their positive effects. And guess what? It’s coffee to the rescue once again!

Used Coffee Grounds for Your Morning Routine

Using used coffee grounds gives your face a deep clean, rejuvenating your skin and unclogging your pores. All you need is some natural oil (olive, coconut or almond oil for example):

• Mix with coffee grounds and massage onto your face using gentle, circular motions.
• Just rinse with warm water afterwards.
• You can use this technique to wash your face every day!

No more chemicals, fewer risks of allergic reactions… and the coffee grounds are also extremely kind to your skin! With just 3 simple ingredients, try this mask to firm up your skin:

• Mix some coffee grounds with an egg white and a bit of honey.
• Liberally apply this natural homemade mask onto your face and neck.
• Leave to dry and rinse with warm water.

Enjoy the anti-ageing effect and marvel at your brand-new, glowing complexion!

Perfect for your Hair

Coffee grounds improve hair growth and soothe the itchy scalp. It also takes care of oily scalp and can even boost up a natural dye. For growth, simply apply as a conditioner to wet hair, massage and rinse. The coffee beans exfoliate the scalp and stimulate blood circulation, thus boosting growth. You can also tell from its colour that it has colouring properties. It revives colour and restores shine to brown and dark hair. It can also cover up grey hair and slows down its appearance.   There are many other beauty recipes that include coffee grounds. Here is a quick list: softening hair conditioner, anti-dark circles and anti-cellulite creams, body scrubs, hand creams, rehydration formulas for dry skin. I could spend hours rambling on about coffee-based beauty products! But don’t worry, I’ve got all the recipes stored away in a safe place; so if you’re interested, just ask and I’d be only too happy to share them with you!

What to do With Coffee Grounds : The Unlikely Cleaning Product

Who would have thought that this waste product (come on, let’s call a spade a spade…) could become a great cleaning product? I was as sceptical as anyone, but I decided to throw caution to the wind and tested it in my own home!

Remove Bad Smells thanks to Used Coffee Grounds

You can also use coffee grounds on your hands to remove stubborn smells like garlic, onion or fish, but it works for your fridge too! Just fill a bowl with coffee grounds and leave it in the fridge to eliminate all the bad smells. The grounds will work their magic for around two weeks. When the unwanted smells return, simply refresh the contents of the bowl.

Take Care of Your Pipes

Coffee grounds can be used to prevent blockages and bad smells. This is the best way to reduce the risk of your house pipes getting clogged up (and therefore needing to use expensive corrosive products).

• Put a tablespoon of coffee grounds in your sink and leave the hot water running for around two minutes.
• The grounds will flow through your plumbing and naturally clean the pipes.
• Repeat this technique as often as possible.

This will prevent your sink from getting clogged up with fat from food waste.

Polish and Clean Furniture

Damp coffee grounds can be used to polish fine scratches on wooden furniture. To do so, delicately rub the area in small circular motions using a cloth. You can also use your coffee as an abrasive cleaner for greasy pots and pans. Nice!   So there you go. Like I said, I’ve still got plenty of other tips and recipes tucked away somewhere! But I think I’ll leave it there and keep you hungry for more. In any case, I hope this article has raised your interest and encouraged you to discover even more ideas about using this black gold!