As a self-pronounced caffeine addict, I make coffee every morning. But after the brew is through, the coffee grounds simply get thrown away. When I was in Europe, coffee grounds were almost always put in the compost, so it doesn't feel wasteful. However, if you haven't noticed yet, the States aren't that great at being green. Fret not! Thanks to the magic of the internet, I've found five stellar uses for coffee grounds to remedy that wasteful habit.
Don't just throw away the coffee grounds after you make your morning cup of coffee. Here are a few hacks that will show you how you can use them around the house. If you're like me and want to make the most out of everything and live that zero-waste life, these tips can help you better utilize things products that would normally go unused. Reuse, reduce, and recycle, amiright?
1. Make exfoliator
Combine equal parts coffee grounds to coconut oil and mix. It's a nourishing face and body scrub that's easy to make and good for you.
2. Clean your hands after cutting garlic
Want to deodorize your hands after cutting garlic? Just dip them in some used coffee grounds and scrub. The coffee will soak up the odor of the garlic. Then rinse with water to get fresh, clean hands.
3. Scrub the bottom of pans
Is there food crust sitting on the bottom of your metal pans? If you don't want to be too harsh on it, used coffee grounds are abrasive enough to scrub away the crust without damaging the surface. Just spread some grounds across the pan and use a paper towel and scrub.
4. Soak up odors from the refrigerator
Used coffee grounds have amazing odor-absorbing abilities. If your fridge is still smelling dank from leftovers that have gone bad, just throw an open container full of coffee grounds in and the odor will be gone in a few days.
5. Fertilize your garden
As nature's fertilizer, coffee is a blessing in every way. If you keep potted plants around or have a garden, use coffee grounds as a cheap and eco-friendly fertilizer.
There are a lot of uses for coffee grounds, and this list is just a few of what I think are the most practical and common usages. Plus, who doesn't like coffee in everything? I live and breathe coffee already. Following some of these tips could jump start your inner hippie and maybe inspire you to start living a greener life.