How to reuse your coffee grounds!

If you make your own coffee, you have probably wondered if there is anything you can do with the used coffee grounds. It can be quite disheartening to see the left over go straight into the trash after extraction your delicious coffee cup. In this article, I share all the different ways in which you can use your use your cultured coffee grounds, giving yet another benefit to your coffee habit!

Firstly, can I brew another cup with the grounds?

Technically yes, you can reuse the coffee ground to make another cup of drinkable coffee. But will it have the same flavor, texture and amount of caffeine – definitely not. There is only a limited supply of desired chemicals that we can be extracted from a batch of coffee grounds to get a tasty cup. So, it is best to use the coffee ground once.

If you choose to reuse the coffee grounds you most likely taste a watered-down version, making it bitter and tasteless. True coffee connoisseurs know that brewing the perfect cup of coffee is an art. Apart from the coffee grounds itself, you would pay keen attention to the coffee to water ratio, water temperature, steeping time and brewing method to hit the right concoction. So, if you are particular on taste, its best not to reuse the coffee grounds.

Do not feel it’s a waste to use the coffee grounds once, it adds to the preciousness of your cup of joe. Besides, there are other far useful ways to utilize the used coffee grounds…

Fertilize your garden

Coffee grounds are excellent plant fertilizers. In order to have good plant growth, especially in your garden, its important to constantly nurture the soil with natural fertilizers. Since animal waste or tree leaves don’t provide that fertilization, as they do in forests, you can create directly spread to coffee grounds or create a compost mixture.

Coffee grounds have several key minerals to help to help with plant nourishment – nitrogen, calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium and chromium. They also help absorb contaminating heavy metals from the soil and improve the biodiversity by attracting worms.

To create an effective compost, you want to have a generous amount of coffee grounds (about 40%) mixed with other items like –

• Grass clippings, leaves, bark
• Herbs, egg shells, stale bread
• Fruits and vegetable trimmings

Insects, Pests and Fleas protector

Coffee contains grounds are effective in repelling bugs and pests. The caffeine and diterpenes compounds are toxic for these little creatures, and so they tend to keep away from them. You can keep out a bowl of coffee grounds around the house, or gently sprinkle them onto outdoor seating areas to rid unwanted tiny guests.

They can also be used in getting rid of your fleas from your canine. It is a natural cheaper option, as compared to the brand produced chemically harsh products sold on the market. You can simply rub the grounds through your pet’s fur after shampooing.

Fleas seem to dislike coffee grounds and naturally fall off after it being applied. If you don’t see any change with the coffee ground treatment, its best to consult your vet to discuss alternate options. Since not a lot of research backs up its effects on fleas, you can use coffee grounds for your dog’s bath as a preventive measure, as apposed to a direct treatment.

Odor Stabilizer

As you may have already experienced in perfume stores, coffee has a strong smell and can be used to ‘reset’ the order. The strong nitrogen within it helps eliminate sulfur gas when it mixes with carbon, taking away any foul smell.

In other words, you can use coffee ground to absorb and remove any bad smells. Here are some direct uses you can try –

• Placing a bowl of coffee grounds in the fridge or freezer to neutralize food smells

• Filling an old sock with coffee grounds or a portable air freshener

• Using the grounds as handwash to remove strong smells after handling garlic or onions

Own Body Care

One of the best aspects of coffee ground is that it is a natural organic material. Apart from mild roasting and grinding, it hasn’t been tinkered with too much. There are several ways to use coffee grounds upon our body.

Skin Exfoliation

Coffee grounds have coarse particles that work well, like an exfoliating agent, to remove dirt and dead cell from the skin. It also has strong antioxidant properties that can help protect the skin from sun damage.
You can make your own –

• Face scrub – mixing coffee grounds with water or coconut/almond oil and scrub them with your hands directly onto your face and body

• Lip scrub – mixing coffee grounds with small amount of honey and gently applying around the lip region

Under-Eye Circles

The skin around your eyes is extremely sensitive and contain very little fat tissue. This is why you may see strong signs of aging, development of dark circles and puffiness under the eyes. Coffee grounds can be effective due to their high antioxidants and caffeine contents.

Caffeine’s anti-inflammatory properties can help stimulate the blood circulation around the eyes to help prevent from dark circles and swelling. It also helps fighting the free radicals that contribute to skin aging.

You can directly add the coffee grounds beneath your eyes and gently wash it off once its dried. This can be repeated frequently and even be added to your self-care regime.

Hair Growth and Strip buildup

Several studies have shown that caffeine, as found in coffee grounds, are effective in stimulating human hair growth. They help in removing buildup and dead skin cells when exfoliated into the scalp also improving on the skin’s blood flow that aid to the acceleration in hair growth.

You can grab a handful of coffee grounds, gently massage it into your wet scalp. After allowing it to sit for a few minutes, you can shampoo, wash and rise as usual. This can be done one to two times a week.

Conclusion

Old coffee ground is an incredible byproduct that doesn’t have to see its fate in the trash can. From sprucing up your garden, to helping with your body care they are plenty of simple benefits you can make use of. The next time you brew yourself a cup of coffee, I hope this article can give you an idea on how to repurpose the grounds.
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