5 Things to Do with Leftover Coffee Grounds

 Repurpose leftover coffee grounds with these frugal ideas!  

If you have been wondering how to use your old coffee grounds, you have come to the right place. 

Used coffee grounds can be good for all sorts of things. You can repurpose used coffee grounds in the garden, for insect-repellent candles, as garbage disposal deodorizers, to tenderize meat, and more! 

Here, we will go over some of the best things to do with old coffee grounds so that you can get the most bang for your buck every time you brew up a fresh cup of morning motivation.   

Coffee Grounds Can Be Used for All Kinds of Stuff

According to data from the National Coffee Association, more than 70% of Americans drink coffee at least a few times a week, with around 60% of United States citizens enjoy coffee every single day! 

With so many people drinking coffee daily, there are sure to be plenty of used coffee grounds to go around. Why not repurpose them to save money? Here, we will discuss 5 ways that you can incorporate those wet coffee grounds into smart money-saving hacks.

1. Used Coffee Grounds Can Tenderize Meat 

First of all, did you know that you could use coffee grounds in your cooking? This is especially true if you love to cook out on the grill! The flavor of coffee grounds has a smoky taste that can enhance meats like brisket and ribs. Plus, the acid in coffee grounds can be a great tenderizer that will amplify the flavors of meat.

Although most tenderizing rub recipes call for fresh coffee grounds, this isn’t strictly necessary. Indeed, you can use fresh used coffee grounds and achieve nearly identical (and often even slightly better) results. Just be sure that your coffee grounds are fresh from the same day. After you have made a pot of coffee, put your coffee grounds in the fridge until you are ready to use them, and try to utilize them within 24 hours. 

2. Used Coffee Grounds are Great as a Body Scrub

You can use used coffee grounds to make all kinds of skin scrubs! Body scrubs made with fresh used coffee grounds provide antioxidants, natural oils, and work as a nice gritty scrubbing agent to help with exfoliation and dead skin cell removal. They’re particularly good as foot scrubs.

But do the grounds need to be fresh? Fresh yes, but dry and straight from the package, no. You can definitely make these scrubs with wet brewed/used coffee grounds instead of un-brewed coffee grounds from the bag. In fact, coffee grounds that have already been exposed to hot water in your coffee pot may actually be a better choice than dry grounds from a bag.

When scrub recipes call for coffee grounds, it's generally better to incorporate used coffee grounds instead of unbrewed dry ones. This is for a few reasons. 

For one thing, used grounds have more moisture, helping them combine more easily with the other ingredients of a ascub. They also are less oily, which can ensure that your recipe has the right balance of oils and exfoliants. Perhaps most importantly, freshly brewed used moistened coffee grounds have already been thoroughly cleaned by hot water in your coffee maker. This meakes them less irritating to skin. Finally, wet used grounds tend to be a bit softer, and thus, gentler on your skin. 

All in all, the hot water from a coffee pot will have soaked the coffee grounds, and as long as they are FRESH (from the same day) used coffee grounds, they tend to cause fewer skin issues. 

Note: If you're making a skin or body scrub with used coffee grounds, applying it on the same day is the best choice. Many homemade coffee ground scrubs do not have a very long storage life and should be used right away. 

3. Used Coffee Grounds Can Make Mosquito Repelling Candles

Do you enjoy the aroma of coffee scented candles? If so, you will be happy too know that you can use coffee grounds to make inexpensive home-made coffee-scented candles! These homemade coffee candles tend to smell even better than the commercial versions, and they can save you money. 

As the candle burns down and melts the wax around the coffee grounds, the fragrance is generally pretty nice. You can make high quality coffee scented candles for indoor use and give them as gifts. Or, you can use cheaper ingredients to make mosquito repelling coffee candles for outdoor use! 

4. Use Old Coffee Grounds as Odor Neutralizers 

Lots of people love the smell of coffee. But did you know that coffee can be an awesome odor absorber? Because coffee has a high nitrogen content and is very porous, it actually helps to absorb smells and remove pesky odors. That’s why in the perfume section of a department store, there will usually be a container of coffee beans. These beans help you “cleanse your scent palette” when sniffing different fragrances. 

There are many ways to neutralize odors using old coffee grounds. For one thing,  you can run coffee grounds in your garbage disposal with vinegar and baking soda to reduce certain odors. To do this, simply dump your wet coffee grounds down the disposal and let them sit for about 10 minutes before running the water and the disposal.

Or, to get rid of funky smells in the fridge, allow your used coffee grounds to dry on a plate. Then, put the plate in your fridge and let it absorb smells overnight.

For carpet stains and odors, you can also sprinkle dried out used coffee grounds mixed with baking soda. Sprinkle a liberal amount of the dry used coffee mixture over your carpet and let it sit overnight. Then, vacuum up in the morning. Just be sure the coffee grounds are totally dry before you mix in the baking soda and sprinkle the mix on your carpet to avoid staining. 

5. Repurpose Old Coffee Grounds In the Garden 

Used coffee grounds can be a fantastic addition to your compost pile. you can also sprinkle used coffee grounds around the parameter of your garden to help repel slugs! we've got an entire article about how to properly use coffee grounds in your garden, so click here to check it out! 

Can you repurpose Keurig coffee grounds or espresso grounds? 

Yes, you can reuse the grounds that are found in Keurig and K-Cup style coffee pods or fine espresso grinds! Although these grounds can be more frustrating to collect and repurpose, they can still be recycled in the same way as bagged coffee grounds. 

Final Thoughts on Using Coffee Grounds 

All in all, there are plenty of ways to save money by repurposing your used coffee grounds!  You can use coffee grounds as an insect repellent, as a body scrub, to make candles, to nurture your garden, and more! Check out some of the most delicious high quality natural organic and gourmet arabica coffee around at www.onegreatcoffee.com. Click here to see more!