Coffee Lovers Only: 20 Things To Do With Coffee Besides Drinking It
Beyond the Morning Mug
If you’re anything like most people, your love for coffee probably borders on a personality trait, but you might not realize that those beans are capable of so much more than just waking you up. While a fresh brew is definitely the gold standard for starting your day, coffee possesses unique chemical properties and a rich aroma that make it a secret weapon for household chores and beauty routines. From the kitchen to the garden and even your bathroom cabinet, there’s almost no limit to how you can repurpose your favorite roast.
1. Exfoliate Your Skin
Combine your extra grounds with some coconut oil to make an inexpensive body scrub that smells amazing. Coffee grounds are gritty enough to remove faded skin cells from your body, while the caffeine leaves your skin feeling temporarily tightened. You’ll feel super soft when you finish your shower.
2. Neutralize Fridge Odors
Place a bowl of used grounds on a shelf in your fridge to soak up odors rather than using an old box of baking soda. Coffee absorbs the nastiness from foods like onions or garlic hiding in your fridge. Your fridge and freezer will smell fresh all week with this handy kitchen hack.
3. Fertilize Acid-Loving Plants
Hydrangeas, azaleas, and blueberry bushes love coffee!
Sprinkle the used grounds on the soil around these plants to help them grow. Plants flourish with the extra nitrogen and love the boost in acidity, too.
4. Scour Stubborn Cookware
There’s nothing worse than burnt-on messes in your favorite cookware. Dip a rag in used grounds and scrub the pot clean before rinsing with soapy water. It’s a natural alternative to using steel wool and still works like a charm.
5. Deodorize Your Hands
If you finish chopping onions or jalapeños and your hands smell, run some wet grounds between your palms for 10 seconds. Coffee grounds help lift aromas from your hands that dish soap can’t reach. Keep an old jar by your sink to make washing up after meals simpler.
6. Create Natural Fabric Dye
Save your old coffee grounds to stain paper or fabric brown. Simmer grounds with a little water to create a consistent coloring agent. Pour it over white cotton to give T-shirts or pillowcases a trendy, earthy tone. Use it to spice up paper crafts, too.
7. Repel Garden Pests
Slugs and snails really dislike the acidity and texture of coffee, so creating a barrier of grounds around your flower beds can act as a natural deterrent. Many crawling insects will avoid crossing the line, which keeps your precious seedlings safe from being eaten overnight.
8. Enrich Your Compost Pile
Adding coffee grounds to your compost bin introduces essential nitrogen that helps speed up the decomposition process of organic matter. They also attract beneficial earthworms that love to snack on the remains and aerate the soil as they move around. Your garden will eventually benefit from a much richer, darker soil.
9. Fix Furniture Scratches
Instant coffee mixed with just a touch of water can hide scratches on dark wood tables. Dab the blend on with a cotton swab and wipe away after letting it sit for several minutes. The stain will disappear into the wood, making small scratches less noticeable.
10. Soften Tough Meats
Using coffee as a marinade will help tenderize meat before cooking. Soak your steak or brisket in coffee before cooking to help make the meat more tender. It also leaves it with a smoky flavor that’s delicious.
11. Shine Your Hair
Did you know you can rinse your hair with coffee? Give your hair a final rinse of cold-brewed coffee after shampooing. Coffee helps remove product buildup in your hair while adding shine to dark hair.
12. Craft Homemade Candles
Stir a tablespoon of dry coffee grounds into melted candle wax for an easy way to make coffee-scented candles. Reuse old candle wax and customize the way your living room smells. The look of the dark grains swirling into the wax is beautiful, too.
13. Clean Your Fireplace
Pour damp coffee grounds over cold ashes before sweeping your fireplace clean. Coffee grounds weigh down soot and prevent it from dusting your room while you shovel it up. This simple trick makes cleaning your fireplace way less messy.
14. Treat Under-Eye Puffiness
Wrap coffee grounds in a thin cloth and apply them under your eyes to reduce puffiness. Caffeine reduces swelling by constricting blood vessels. Place cooled coffee grounds under your eyes for an instant pick-me-up.
15. Degrease Your Driveway
Spilled motor oil on your driveway? Cover the stain with used coffee grounds to absorb it. Let the grounds sit for a few hours, then sweep them away. It draws up grease from your driveway so you can wash it away more easily.
16. Bake Decadent Desserts
Add coffee to chocolate cake or brownie mixes to make them taste richer. By adding coffee, you’re enhancing the flavor of chocolate without tasting like you added coffee. Who knew baking with coffee was such a secret pro baker trick?
17. Scent Your Trash Can
Tossing a handful of dry grounds into the bottom of your kitchen bin helps mask the unpleasant smells of food scraps between bag changes. You can even create small sachets using old fabric filled with coffee. It’s a cheap and effective way to keep your pantry area smelling much better.
18. Improve Your Traction
Sprinkle dried coffee grounds onto slippery sidewalks or driveways in place of sand or salt.
If you live in an area that freezes over in the winter, coffee can give you extra traction on ice. Coffee is also safer for your dog’s paws than rock salt!
19. Cleanse Your Palate
Coffee shops keep bowls of coffee beans out for customers to smell because it clears their senses between aromas. Clean your senses between smelling different perfumes by smelling coffee. Try it next time you’re testing a batch of homemade candles or cooking.
20. Style Your Playdough
If you’re making homemade playdough for your kids, adding coffee grounds provides a unique texture and a realistic "dirt" color for toy construction sites. It adds a sensory element to their playtime that smells great and is completely non-toxic if they happen to take a nibble.
