10 Ways To Reuse Coffee Grounds

10 Ways To Reuse Coffee Grounds. Graphic © herbshealthhappiness.com. Photo © AdobeStock 53076449 (under license)

Coffee has been consumed as a beverage since at least as far back as the 15th century – and it originated in the Middle East, where it is thought that it was first roasted in a fashion similar to that of today. Coffee became popular in Europe in the mid 17th century and coffee houses appeared in several countries; however its popularity did not rocket in the USA until the time of the War of Independence (1775–1783). ^[1]

We found an awesome page of the ways to re-use coffee grounds, courtesy of our friends over at Common Sense Homesteading. The link is after our commentary.

Turns out that used coffee grounds have a number of great uses (as well as a few that fall firmly into the ‘weird’ category). Reduce, re-use, restore, recycle! It’s become the mantra of our times. As an ant deterrent – well that sounds like a great plan. It must be overpowering for the little critters and they seem pretty caffeinated already, so maybe it makes them crazy. I have to say though – as a facial scrub? I like coffee, but not that much…

Another of my favorites from the list would have to be the gardener’s special – making compost or mulch. Coffee grounds are rich in minerals – including phosphorous, potassium, magnesium and copper. Worms love them – and they are reported especially good for blueberry plants. Although some coffee companies are involved in recycling programs for their used coffee grounds, I imagine that a number of coffee shops still just dump their used grounds, so if you are really a serious gardener, you could probably find a coffee house that would let you have them for free.

Two on the original list (wood stain and “hide furniture scratches”) seemed almost like the same tip! So, not wanting to under-deliver, we dug around and came up with another unusual use – as a pin cushion filling! Simply put the (dried!) grounds in a small cloth, tie off with an elastic band and place in a small container. Now, why bother using coffee for this? Apparently the grounds will keep the pins rust-free (can anyone verify this??)

A couple of other coffee-related pages from our blog:

Top 20 “Weird But Amazing” Uses For Green Tea

Top 16 Natural Ways To Get Rid Of Ants

Ok here is the link (via web archive) to the full list of ways to re-use coffee grounds:

10 Ways To Reuse Coffee Grounds