Have you ever paused and wondered if you could do something else when throwing out your used coffee grounds?
Yup, us too! So we hit up our mate Google and handpicked 5 cool ways to recycle your used coffee grounds to share with you. In doing so, you’ll be making another small, yet very meaningful step towards a zero waste and natural lifestyle!
For all you “greenies” out there
If you have a garden, then used coffee grounds can help you keep your garden lush and pest-free.
Nobody likes ants, snails, or slugs eating away their garden. You can get rid of them in a natural way: coffee grounds to the rescue! Sprinkling them around your plants will protect them against these small critters. They’re not a fan of the smell of coffee (Can you imagine that!?), or its rough texture.
TIP: if coffee grounds alone don’t do the trick. Try mixing them with dried orange peel or a few drops of rosemary oil for a stronger repellent.
Another way to make use of your coffee grounds in the garden is to soak the used grounds again overnight and use that water as a foliar spray. Plants love it, bugs … not so much!
Pile it up!
You don’t have a garden? No problem, you might have a compost pile. And if you don’t, you might want to start one after reading this.
Composting is a great way to make good use of your organic food and garden scraps. Your compost will be a rich, nutrient-dense fertilizer for all indoor plants.
A compost pile will thrive when its brown-to-green ratio is balanced. Rich in nitrogens, coffee grounds are a top-notch green matter! They also attract worms which is something you’ll be looking for when composting.
Here’s a short list of organics you can compost: coffee grounds, egg shells, grass clippings, leaves and branch shreds, fruit and vegetable scraps, and even shredded newspaper!
Even when you’re a busy bee we can recommend starting a composting pile. Yes, it does take a few months before you have your organic fertilizer but all good things take time, don’t they? And making one actually doesn’t take up much time at all. You basically just pile up your organic waste in a bin and stir it up once in a while.
Check out this guide to help you get started!
Did someone say “head massage”?
Did you know your skin is your largest organ!? And that anything you put on your body gets absorbed through your skin? So we better take good care of it and be mindful of what we use as skincare, right?
Who doesn’t love a little exfoliation? Used coffee grounds are super efficient to give your body a nice rub-a-dub. Our insider’s tip? Exfoliate your scalp with your used coffee grounds. We often don’t give this part of our body the love it deserves and it feels oh so goo-ood!
Here’s how you do it:
Wet your hair with warm water.
Take a few tablespoons of used coffee grounds (2-3 should do but, by all means, experiment away! It’s natural so using more or less is absolutely safe).
Massage your scalp in small, circular motions.
Rinse well and shampoo.
A super-duper side effect of giving yourself a head massage? Your hair will grow more as a result of increased blood flow to your scalp.
Important side note: Although the coffee grounds are used, they will still act as a natural dye so be careful if your hair is blonde and/or porous. In that case, you might want to skip this one.
Bad smells, go away!
Foul odors can occur in the cleanest of houses. Another cool characteristic of the nitrogen in used coffee grounds is that it absorbs all those yucky smells.
Getting rid of any bad smell has never been easier and healthier! Using a small bowl of coffee grounds in the “no-go zone” definitely trumps using a chemical spray of fake “home perfume” any day, wouldn’t you agree?
You can even keep a small sachet of coffee grounds handy in your car, closet, or gym locker to keep it smelling fresh!
Fix Wooden Furniture
Fixing your furniture with used coffee grounds is the messiest way of recycling them, but it’s very effective!
How to dye scratches on your wooden furniture:
Use a spoon or ear swab to apply the coffee grounds. Don’t be cheap, pack it in there!
Let it sit for about 5 minutes.
Whipe a little bit away to check the color. If you want a darker shade, let it sit for a little while longer, or re-apply a new batch of coffee grounds.
Check the color regularly to prevent you end up with a shade that is too dark.
There. Now you have a few options to start reusing your coffee grounds. It is not only easy, in most cases it also means you minimize your environmental footprint. Double whammy!
Which of the above will you try out first? Let us know in the comments below or -even better- take a photo of how you recycled your coffee grounds and tag @belvicocoffee on Instagram and Facebook.
We’ll be waiting to see those pics!
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