19 clever ways coffee grounds can be reused

Your morning espresso is the ultimate household multitasker

Think twice before you throw away those used coffee grounds – the lifespan of your morning espresso can stretch far beyond the cup. From nourishing your backyard and deterring pests to repairing furniture scratches and deep-cleaning kitchenware, this versatile waste product has a surprising range of eco-friendly uses. 

Click or scroll on to discover the best ways to reuse your coffee grounds, cut household costs, and get the most out of every cup...

Invigorate your vegetable patch

Discarded coffee grounds can impart nitrogen and micronutrients to your vegetable patch, however, their real superpower is improving soil structure and drainage.

To help your produce flourish, sprinkle a small amount of grounds onto the soil and gently rake them in. Ensure the layer is no thicker than half an inch and top with leaves or bark mulch. Carrots, cucumbers, peppers, potatoes, and radishes in particular will feel the benefit.

Coffee grounds are poisonous to cats and dogs, so ensure your patch is out of reach of pets.

Enrich compost

For a regular supply of nutrient-dense fertilizer for your backyard, add discarded coffee grounds to your compost heap.

Ensure the grounds make up no more than 20% of your bin or the mix could be harmful to plants. An ideal makeup is one part coffee grounds, one part grass clippings, and three parts leaves. You can even throw used coffee filters on the heap too.

Mix the contents of the bin once a week and in three to six months, your compost will be ready to use.

Encourage earthworms

As well as supporting healthy plant growth, coffee grounds are also a favorite among earthworms, so adding grounds to your backyard could increase the number of these soil-enriching critters.

If you have a worm bin, try adding a light sprinkling of coffee grounds to mature compost along with shredded paper or eggshells. The worms will break down the organic waste, resulting in nourishing vermicompost – or worm manure – that you can use in the backyard.

Fertilize your lawn

For an eco-friendly lawn fertilizer, sprinkle discarded coffee grounds over the surface of your grass, gently sweeping to ensure even coverage. 

The grounds will slowly release nutrients over time and unlike some synthetic fertilizers, there's no risk of burning the lawn or contaminating your plants. Our old friends the earthworms will soon get to work breaking the coffee grounds down, resulting in increased microbial activity and healthy, aerated turf.

Promote blue hydrangeas

If you've ever yearned for beautiful, blue hydrangeas, the answer could well be at the bottom of your French press. The color of the blooms, which are typically pink, blue, green, or white, is dependent on the pH level of the soil they're grown in. This is where coffee grounds, which are very slightly acidic, can come in handy.

Provided you're dealing with a variety that produces blue flowers, such as French hydrangeas or lacecaps, all you need to do is sprinkle your spent coffee grounds around the plant and gently work them into the soil. Repeat two to three times a year and eventually you may be rewarded with bright blue blooms.

Control backyard pests

While evidence is somewhat anecdotal, some gardeners have had success sprinkling coffee grounds around plants to deter slugs, ants, and foxes. Remember, if you're applying grounds directly to the soil, it's important to make sure they're out of reach of pets. 

However, a study from Oregon State University has shown that coffee soil drenches can be effective at keeping slugs away. Simply treat the soil with a mixture of one part water to two parts strong-brewed coffee.

Alternatively, you can make a foliage spray by adding nine parts water to one part brewed coffee, though it's a good idea to test this on a leaf sample and wait a few days to check for damage.

Repel unwanted household insects

Coffee grounds can help deter unwanted insects indoors, such as leatherjackets and mosquitoes, too.

To make a DIY repellent, you'll need to let your used grounds dry out completely by placing them in the sun or in the stove at a low temperature. Once dry, place them in a fire-resistant container and set them alight with a match – you want them to smolder like incense.

Place the container by an open window, door, or patio and the strong scent should help discourage uninvited visitors. Be sure to never leave a flame unattended and keep out of the way of children or pets.

Grow gourmet mushrooms

A great way to reduce grocery shopping, coffee grounds can be used to grow gourmet mushroom varieties, such as oyster mushrooms.

You'll need to combine around 1.1 pounds of mushroom spawn – usually sawdust or grain colonized by a fungal culture called mycelium – with 5.5 pounds of spent coffee grounds in a grow bag or container. Brewing pasteurizes the coffee, so the grounds must be used the day they're brewed, or bacteria and mold may be introduced.

It'll take three weeks for the fungus to take hold, at which point it can be placed in an airy, shaded location. Mushrooms should then start to emerge in around a week.

Create a liquid fertilizer for houseplants

Houseplants such as snake plants, spider plants, ZZ plants, peace lilies, rubber plants, and ferns can also benefit from your discarded coffee grounds.

To create a nutrient-rich liquid fertilizer, dilute around a teaspoon of coffee grounds in one imperial gallon of water. Let it steep for a few days, occasionally stirring the mixture, then strain it with a fine mesh strainer or muslin. Use the enriched solution to water your plants and promote healthy growth.

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Scour pots and pans

Because of their abrasive texture, used coffee grounds are an ideal eco-friendly cleaning aid, especially when it comes to pots and pans coated in burnt food.

Once the grounds have cooled but are still damp, work them into a paste and use them to gently scrub the pan with a sponge. The coarse grounds should help lift the residue. This trick works best with cast iron and stainless-steel pans – it's not suitable for non-stick or enameled designs as the grounds can scratch the coating.

When you're finished, it's a good idea to scrape the coffee grounds into the trash to ensure you don't block the sink.

Deep clean the stove

A paste of slightly damp coffee grounds can also work wonders on a dirty stove. Let the mixture sit on the interior surfaces and door of the stove for around 30 minutes, then scrub with a damp sponge and wipe away.

Coffee grounds are great at cutting through grease build-up, making them ideal for the job. Plus, they have natural deodorizing properties so they can help banish lingering food smells from your stove.

Suppress fireplace dust

Cleaning out a fireplace is one of the messiest household chores, inevitably sending plumes of ash into the air. However, coffee grounds can help make the job a whole lot cleaner and simpler. 

Sprinkle damp grounds on top of the ash before you attempt to sweep the fireplace out. The slight moisture will help weigh down the debris, allowing you to scoop up the ash without it billowing into your living room.

Conceal scratches on wooden furniture

With the wear and tear of daily life, wooden furniture can easily get scratched, and such damage is especially obvious on dark timber grains. Luckily, coffee grounds can help camouflage scratches and restore dark wooden furnishings to their former glory.

Mix your spent grounds with a little water and simply dab the paste on the scratch with a cue tip. Leave it to sit for around 10 minutes and then wipe away the mixture – the grounds should have dyed the exposed wood dark brown, concealing the damage. You can repeat the process to achieve a deeper hue.

It's a good idea to test your coffee mixture on an inconspicuous spot first to make sure the color is right.

Keep your fridge smelling fresh

Coffee grounds can be incredibly effective at removing lingering odors. A 2021 study in the Agronomy peer-reviewed journal found that sprinkling fermented grounds on the floor of a dairy farm dramatically reduced pungent smells in three weeks. 

To neutralize odors in your fridge, take a leaf out of the scientists' book and stash a small bowl of dry coffee grounds at the back of one of the shelves. The nitrogen in the coffee should help to absorb sulfur gas in the air and noticeably minimize the scent of fragrant and spoiled foods. It's a good idea to change the grounds every few weeks.

Neutralize trash odors

Another culprit behind a smelly kitchen is trash cans, especially in the summer when heat can cause discarded food to deteriorate even faster.

Once your used coffee grounds have dried out, try sprinkling a layer at the bottom of your trash can or in a new trash liner to help absorb nasty odors. It's important to use dry grounds rather than wet ones, as introducing more moisture to the trash can exacerbate unwanted smells.

Repel fleas from pets

While many of us may love the scent of coffee, fleas do not. If your four-legged family member is plagued by the critters, scrub their fur with a handful of grounds after shampooing and rinse thoroughly. The strong smell may help to naturally repel the fleas.

Only apply the grounds externally and ensure your pet doesn't ingest them, as coffee can be toxic to animals. 

It's worth noting that coffee grounds will likely be less effective than prescription products, so if the problem persists, you should visit your vet for further treatment.

Grit icy driveways

While coffee grounds can't accelerate the melting of ice in the same way that rock salt does, they can offer a cost-effective way to make your driveway safer during a cold spell.

When ice strikes, scatter dry coffee grounds liberally across your drive. Their abrasive texture acts as a gripping agent on slippery surfaces, creating much-needed traction underfoot or under the wheels of your car.

Make fragrant candles

Discarded coffee grounds can be given a second life as beautiful scented candles.

Centre a natural candle wick in the bottom of a jar and carefully melt 12 ounces of soy candle wax in a pan. Rest a skewer over the top of the vessel and tie the end of the wick to it.

As you slowly pour the hot wax into the jar, add a sprinkling of dried coffee grounds between each ounce. Aim for between three and six tablespoons of grounds, concentrating them around the candle edge. Remove the skewer once the wax is cool and trim the wick.

Dye clothes and fabric

To transform faded clothes and fabrics, steep used grounds in hot water to create a natural dye. Place your material in a large bowl and pour the filtered coffee over it. For a pale tan hue, remove after a few minutes, or for a darker color, leave for 30 minutes or overnight.

To achieve a mottled effect, rub the grounds on wet fabric and leave them to sit for a while. 

Set the dye by wringing the material and placing it in hot water with a couple of tablespoons of vinegar for a few minutes. Rinse until the water runs clear. Once dry, iron it to seal the color in. 

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