Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in Australia. A study conducted by McCrindle indicates that 75% of Australians drink at least one cup of coffee per day. And 28% of that 75% drinks three or more cups on a daily basis.
A majority of Australians prefer instant coffee but for several years now, more and more coffee drinkers in Australia have been switching to homebrewed coffee. Homebrewed coffee is simply tastier and more nutritious. Many experts believe that within the next decade, drinking homebrewed coffee would have overtaken drinking instant coffee in terms of popularity.
There is one thing coffee roasters have to deal with that instant coffee drinkers do not though – used coffee grounds. Should they simply be thrown away or can they be of some use?
There are actually a variety of ways you can use used coffee grounds. In fact, many major coffee shops such as Starbucks have a policy that allows customers to get used coffee grounds for free. That’s right, you can go to your favourite Starbucks and ask for a bag or two of used coffee grounds and they’ll be given to you free of charge.
So, without further ado, let’s get to it. Here are 10 creative uses for used coffee grounds:
- Fertilizer – coffee grounds are rich in several key nutrients that will accelerate plant growth. Worms also find coffee grounds to be quite attractive so they tend to gravitate towards them. Lastly, coffee grounds help break down and decrease the concentrations of heavy metals in the soil.
- Compost – do you use compost pits in your backyard? Adding used coffee grounds to the compost will make it more nutrient-rich while also lowering its greenhouse gas emissions.
- Insect and Pest Repellent – coffee grounds contain compounds such as caffeine and diterpenes that are toxic to many insects and pests such as mosquitoes, fruit flies, fruit beetles, and more. Just sprinkle them around areas where you do now want pests to be wandering about.
- Flea Repellent – used coffee grounds make for an effective and 100%-natural flea repellent. Fleas hate caffeine and diterpenes too. Just bathe your pet in water soaked with coffee beans and the fleas will hightail it out of your pet’s fur.
- Deodorizer – the nitrogen found in coffee grounds is highly effective in eliminating foul smells from your room, refrigerator, gym bag, or smelly shoes. Simply placing the grounds on a bowl can be enough to get rid of the bad smell. You can also turn them into portable air fresheners by putting them inside socks. If the odour has stuck to a surface, use the grounds as a hand scrub to eliminate the lingering smell.
- Cleaning Scrub – used coffee grounds have high abrasiveness which makes them quite effective for sanitizing hard-to-clean surfaces. The grounds even have antibacterial and antiviral properties. You can even use the grounds to clean your pots and pans.
- Facial Scrub – mix the used coffee grounds with a little bit of water or coconut oil and you’ll have a potent exfoliating scrub. Use your hands to scrub the mixture directly onto your face and the coarse particles of the coffee grounds will help get rid of dirt and dead cells from your skin.
- Natural Dye – the stain left behind by wet coffee grounds can be used as a natural dye. You can use the dye on paper or fabric. They dye can even be used to darken brunette hair.
- Meat Tenderizer – the natural acids and enzymes in coffee grounds help break down the muscle fibres and proteins in meat to give the meat a softer texture. The acidic properties of the coffee grounds can even enhance the flavour of the meat.
- Hair Grower – chemicals found in shampoos and hair styling products can cause product build-up and dead skin build-up on your scalp. Massaging your scalp with used coffee grounds before you shampoo can break down and get rid of these build-ups. A 2012 study has even concluded that caffeine can stimulate hair growth.
Want to learn more ways to get the most out of your coffee-loving lifestyle? Follow our blog at Palinoia Coffee. We regularly publish articles on how you can use coffee to live a healthier, livelier, and more beautiful lifestyle.