When times are tough certain needs get shelved, like beauty products or
Finding creative ways to meet our needs is something Zimbabweans are very good at.
Below are some create ways to reuse and upcycle your old coffee grounds which may often just find themselves making a huge mess in your sink.
- Fertilize Your Garden
Most gardens need to be fertilized to ensure that plants have the nourishment they need to survive.
Coffee grounds contain several key minerals for plant growth — nitrogen, calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium and chromium. Research shows they may also help absorb heavy metals that can contaminate soil. What’s more, coffee grounds help attract worms, which are great for your garden.
To use coffee grounds as fertilizer, simply sprinkle them onto the soil surrounding your plants.
2. Compost it for later
Composting is a natural process that turns organic items such as food scraps and yard debris into a dark, rich material called compost or humus.
One study found that compost made with coffee grounds and kitchen waste was richer in nutrients than compost made with waste alone.
3. Repel Insects and Pests
Certain compounds found in coffee, such caffeine and diterpenes, can be highly toxic to insects. They are effective at deterring mosquitos, fruit flies and beetles.
To use coffee grounds as an insect and pest repellent, simply set out bowls of grounds or sprinkle them around outdoor seating areas. You can also keep pests out of your garden by scattering coffee grounds around your plants. They help create a barrier that slugs and snails do not like to crawl over.
4. Remove Fleas from Your Pet
Like other insects, fleas do not like coffee. Bathing your pet in used coffee grounds may help keep fleas at bay.
Simply rub the grounds throughout your pet’s fur after shampooing. Then rinse them off and allow your pet to dry as usual.
*Coffee grounds should only be used externally and not consumed.
5. Neutralise Odours or as a Natural Cleaning Scrub
Coffee grounds contain nitrogen, which helps eliminate a foul-smelling sulfur gas from the air when it’s combined with carbon.
You can place a bowl of coffee grounds in your fridge or freezer to neutralize odors from spoiled or fragrant foods.
You can also fill old socks or pantyhose with coffee grounds and tie them off to make portable air fresheners.
You can even keep coffee grounds by the sink and use them to scrub your hands after chopping garlic or onions. The grounds will help remove the smell from your hands. Also use them to scour your sink, polish your cookware or clean your grill. They can help sanitize due to their antibacterial and antiviral properties.
*Just be careful not to use them on any kind of porous material, as they can cause brown stains.
6. Exfoliate Your Skin and Improve Skin Health
The coarse particles in coffee grounds work as an exfoliating agent to help remove dirt and dead cells from the skin.
Simply mix coffee grounds with a little bit of water or coconut oil and scrub them with your hands directly onto your face and body.
Coffee grounds can also be mixed with a small amount of honey and used as an exfoliating lip scrub.
Coffee grounds may help reduce the appearance of cellulite by breaking down fat deposits and increasing blood flow to the affected area.
7. Use It as a Natural Dye
By rewetting used coffee grounds, you can create an inexpensive and all-natural dye that can be used to colour cotton, linen, paper or repair scratched furniture.
This is an easy way to give fabrics and paper a vintage look or disguise existing stains on your clothing and towels.
To repair scratched wooden furniture – simply, make a thick paste with used coffee grounds and water. Then rub the paste into the scratch using a cotton swab, allow it to sit for 5–10 minutes and then wipe with a cotton rag. Continue to dab coffee into the scratch until the desired colour is achieved
8. Treat Under-Eye Circles
The skin surrounding the eyes is extremely delicate and contains very little fat tissue. Because of this, it’s one of the first places you might see signs of aging.
Coffee grounds contain caffeine and antioxidants. When applied to the skin, they can help prevent aging and reduce the appearance of dark under-eye circles and puffiness.
Simply add water or coconut oil to your coffee grounds to form a paste. Apply the mixture under your eyes and let it sit for about 10 minutes before rinsing. Repeat this process daily or as needed.
9. Grow Mushrooms
Mushrooms do not grow in ordinary garden soil, as they require a substrate, or underlying substance or layer. Used coffee grounds make a great substrate because they are packed full of nutrients that mushrooms like to grow on.
Mushrooms only thrive in specific conditions and are notoriously difficult to grow. So, watch this space for a full article on how to use coffee grounds to grow your own mushrooms.
Adapted from Kayla McDonell’s article on Healthline, April 12 2018. 2018 – https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/uses-for-coffee-grounds#section16 – all research links can be found in this full article.
