9 Surprising Household Uses For Coffee
POSTED ON June 27, 2015 BY Kat Gal


By Kat Gal
The jury is still out whether coffee is good or bad for you. Some argue its health benefits, others say it’s harmful, many believe it’s all good in moderation. But the fact is – people drink coffee.
About 83% of adults in the US drink coffee, an average of 3 cups per person a day, a total of 587 million cups. And that’s the United States alone without taking into account all the other countries where coffee is popular.
That’s a lot of coffee, right? That’s also a lot of coffee grounds!

But what do you do with the coffee grounds? Instead of just tossing them and creating landfill-bound waste, you can actually use them for many things. Even if you only drink coffee in moderation or occasionally, these uses of coffee grounds may still surprise you and can come in handy.
Here are 9 surprising household uses of coffee grounds:
1. Dish cleaner: Mix a handful of coffee grounds in with your dish soap. It will help you scrub your pots and pans clean.
2. Coffee-scented DIY candle: Place a metal-based wick in the center of a small jar then fill the rest of the jar with coffee grounds and melted beeswax, altering layers.
3. Smell absorbent: Are your hands smelly after handling garlic, onion or other foods? Rub coffee ground into your palms, as the grounds will absorb the smell quickly.
4. Fridge deodorizer: Put a week’s worth of coffee grounds into an open jar, place it in your fridge and it will naturally deodorize it.
5. Skin exfoliator: Mix ½ cup of coffee ground and ½ cup of sugar with 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. Rub it all over your skin. It exfoliates and may even help with cellulite.
6. Exfoliating soap: Add coffee grounds to melted soap (1 tablespoon of coffee per pound of soup) then allow it to harden to make an exfoliating soap.
7. Control pests: Sprinkle grounds around your plants or where ants or other creatures normally enter your house. The smell will keep them away.
8. Gardening: Coffee grounds are excellent seed starters. Because of their high carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, they will release nutrients like potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen into the soil.
9. Garbage disposal cleaner: Pour a tablespoon of coffee grounds and baking soda down the drain. It will clean the blades for a better-smelling garbage disposal.

Kat Gál is a holistic health writer who helps health, wellness, and nutrition businesses to market their products and services through quality online content. She is also a freelance writing mentor teaching wanna-be-freelancers how to make a living writing at freelancewriterschool.com. Reach out if you are looking for amazing blog content at katgalwriter@gmail.com or katgalwriter.com. Visit freelancewriterschool.com for freelance writing tips. Follow me on Instagram @freelancewriterschool and on Facebook at facebook.com/katgalwriter.
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