How to Reuse Coffee Grounds

As our family gets deeper and deeper into environmental alternatives and a greener lifestyle, I’m learning so many super cool things. One thing I recently learned about was how to reuse coffee grounds. We don’t make coffee very often in our home—usually when I have to be up for a long time, or if we have company—but when we do, we have plenty of grounds leftover to use in these projects…

Fertilizing Plants: Apparently the makeup of coffee grounds makes them an excellent fertilizer! As a bonus, they’re not as stinky as many other fertilizers, either (though I will argue with you to the death over the beautiful aroma of our earthy compost!).

Kiddie Projects: You can actually make play-dough with coffee grounds, though I’m not sure my kid would enjoy that. She would, however, enjoy using the grounds as a base for pictures of trees or dirt, I think, by sprinkling it on top of glue, much like glitter. We could also use the coffee as a stain in our wood projects or a watercolor paint, I bet.

Body Scrub: Some people say they re-use their coffee grounds as an exfoliant. That is a pretty creative way to use them up!

Cat Repellent: Some experts say that if you put coffee grounds in your garden, it’ll keep stray cats from visiting (and pooping!) in it. Other pests, such as ants, may be deterred by coffee grounds as well.

Cleanser: When you get strong odors on your hands—think onions—coffee grounds can help you get rid of them. Simply rub the grounds over your hands beneath running water. You can even use them in your hair to make it shinier! (They’ll also dye hair, however, so be careful.)

Natural Sachet: In addition to getting rid of smells on your body, coffee grounds can help eliminate odors in the rest of your home. Just put them in a small mesh bag, a bit of pantyhose, cheesecloth, or other thin material and hang them in your closet, your refrigerator, or put them in your drawers. Imagine having your clothes smell like the coffee aisle of the supermarket—yum!

Flea Deterrent: Massage your pets with coffee grounds and apparently pests might leave them alone!

Coffee! Yep, you can reuse the grounds by letting them dry out, then mixing them with fresh grounds. If you don’t like the flavor, at least you can say that you tried doing it!