Have tons of leftover coffee grounds? Don’t let them go to waste. Instead? Put them to good use. Here are 9 creative uses for coffee grounds.
The only thing better than coffee?
Is coffee at the beach.
Coffee makes me want to write sonnets and odes and an entire operetta to it. I love to drink it. I love to smell it. I love to hear the little percolating sound when the coffee maker starts to brew. I love the very first sip—staring out at the ocean that fills you up with the taste of the promise of the day.
I’m not all about fancy coffee.
I’m totally coffee old school—just plain without cream or sugar.
But here’s the thing. All that coffee? It leaves behind tons and tons and tons of used coffee grounds in its wake.
It got me thinking—I’m a repurposer. I recycle my furniture.
Why not my coffee grounds?
I already used coffee grounds on my hydrangeas—but what else could I use them for?
So I did a little coffee research and discovered SO MANY THINGS for all that used-up coffee.
Here are 9 creative uses for coffee grounds.
9 creative uses for coffee grounds
Q: what type of plants like used coffee grounds?
I’ve used coffee grounds with my hydrangeas for years with amazing results. It’s helped me grow hydrangeas in the heat of hot Texas summers. Any acid-loving plant likes used coffee grounds added to the soil. This includes hydrangeas, azaleas, lily-of-the-valley and a variety of fruits including blueberries, radishes and carrots.
Q: how to store used coffee grounds?
If you make a coffee pot a day, you may have more coffee grounds than you need. No worries. You can store them until you need to use them. Simply place them in an air-tight container and store in the refrigerator. Do not leave them out on the counter for extended periods of time because there is a chance of mold.
Yikes.
Q: where can you get used coffee grounds?
Want all the benefits of using coffee grounds and you don’t make coffee at your house? Check with your local coffee shops to see if they have extra. For example, Starbucks has a program where it gives out its coffee grounds if local cities allow it.
Q: can you upcycle coffee grounds?
Yes. Yes my wonderful friend, you can. There are tons of creative things you can do with those used coffee grounds. From gardening to using them to dye fabric, there are so many ideas.
Here are 9 creative uses for coffee grounds.
1. Use coffee grounds to fertilize
Did you know that coffee grounds are slightly acidic?
That makes them the perfect friend for acid-loving plants.
Hydrangeas.
(total aside: these are actual hydrangeas I’ve grown in my yard in Texas).
Azaleas.
Camillas.
Sprinkle a few used coffee grounds around the base of the plants and work them slightly into the soil. Then add water to help the soil absorb the coffee grinds. Why pay for expensive fertilizer when used coffee grounds are FREE and about to go into your trash.
2. Use coffee grounds to de-smell your sink
I’m not sure about you, but sometimes my sink stinks.
Stinky stinkeria mcstinkerama.
Mostly it’s the garbage disposal that stinks the most.
Adding coffee grounds to your garbage disposal can help eliminate odors. You don’t want to add them directly to the garbage disposal because they may clog up the pipes. Instead, I found this simple idea on how to make a cleaner when you mix them with Epsom Salt and vinegar and vanilla.
You can read all about it here.
3. Clean pots and pans
Coffee grains are gritty.
Put all that grit to use with your pots and pans
I remove the excess water with a paper towel after we use the coffee grounds and keep them in a mason jar under the sink.
Those little grounds are the perfect thing to use when you have that stubborn dirt and stains that just won’t go away. I just pull out a little and sprinkle them on the pan and scrub them on the dirt with a sponge. They aren’t so harsh as other things I’ve used and so far they haven’t scratched any of my pots.
Knock on a coffee cup.
4. Use coffee grounds as a natural dye
Using coffee grounds as a dye works just like dying with tea.
Those coffee grounds still have a lot of coffee left in them.
Add them to a bucket of hot water. Let the coffee grounds steep slightly to bring the water to the right color.
Next, add the pre-washed fabric (these pillow covers from IKEA are perfect for dying) and let the fabric steep for several hours. You can pull it out periodically to check and see if the fabric is the right shade.
After you have the fabric the color that you want, just rinse off and dry.
5. Repair scratched furniture
Now in full disclosure, I have never tried this before.
I’ve seen it on Pinterest and it looks amazing.
If you have scratches on your furniture, here’s an easy tutorial on how to repair your scratched furniture.
You can also use coffee grounds to clean it, too.
After I thought about it—this makes sense because coffee grounds are the color of wood. I’ll try it and report back.
In the meantime, you can see a tutorial here.
6. Chase bugs away
Apparently, bugs do not like the smell of coffee.
Who knew?
Just sprinkle the coffee grounds where you don’t want them to be.
You can see it with a stream of ants.
Put the coffee grounds down and they turn around and walk the other direction.
(total aside: I’m not sure if ants actually walk. Maybe that should read crawl? Creep? Scurry?)
7. Deodorize the refrigerator
Used coffee grounds are a great deodorizer.
All you need to do to freshen your refrigerator is to fill a small dish with coffee grinds and place it in the back of the refrigerator.
It actually doesn’t make your fridge smell like coffee.
Instead? The grinds absorb the odors in your refrigerator.
Kind of like the baking soda trick.
Except with coffee.
8. Dye Easter Eggs or paper
Perfectly appropriate use right before Easter.
Coffee is a natural dye and works well to naturally dye Easter Eggs.
Add used coffee grounds to a bucket of hot water. Let the coffee grounds steep slightly to bring the water to the right color.
Next, add the eggs and let them steep for several minutes.
It doesn’t take long because the eggs are so absorbent.
Then, simply rinse off any excess grounds from your eggs and let them dry.
You can do the same thing with paper, too. Simply follow similar directions and add coffee grounds to hot water. Let the coffee grounds steep slightly to bring the water to the right color for your dyed paper. Next, add paper to the slightly cooled water and let the paper steep slightly (about 5 seconds). Remove the paper and let it dry on a flat surface.
I use this tip all the time and it makes the paper look wonderfully vintage.
9. Weathered wood treatment
I’ve never tried this before, but I found this idea for used coffee grounds online.
It looks like an amazing alternative to stinky stains.
I’m going to try it because I’m really leaning into trying to get more creative instead of using harsh chemicals.
This website had one of the best tutorials on how to use coffee to create a weathered wood look.
You can see it here.
Who knew?
Who knew coffee could taste so good and be so helpful all at the same time?
In this post, we’ve discussed coffee and coffee grinds.
But what about the coffee filters that are sitting in the coffee cabinet?
Let’s not forget about them.
Here’s one more coffee gift.
Don’t let those unused coffee filters go to waste. Here’s how to use those coffee filters to make these flowers.
You can see the DIY here.
Can you even believe all the creative ideas for used coffee grounds? I hope this post has brewed up a few more ideas just for you.
(So sorry. That low-hanging coffee joke was too much to resist.)
PS How do you drink your coffee?
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Click here to get my FIVE BEST secrets.
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