Every time you brew your espresso with a lever coffee machine, do you wonder how best to recycle the grounds?
Yes, respecting the environment and the world around us also means trying to creatively reuse the materials and substances we use, including coffee!
If you are attentive to these issues, it will certainly be important for you to work every day to protect the environment, even with small gestures, and recycling coffee is one of them.
A true coffee lover appreciates the aroma of espresso coffee and experiences the preparation of coffee as a real ritual.
He loves to choose the best quality coffee beans, selects the type of roast that best enhances the characteristics of the chosen blend, grinds the coffee according to the manufacturer’s instructions, appreciates the sound of the professional coffee machine for domestic use, carefully fills the arm, adores the black liquid that flows from the spout, carefully smells the air that is filled with the aroma of coffee and finally tastes it.
But while he appreciates and distinguishes the organoleptic characteristics of the drink, he is already thinking about his next coffee and wondering if there is an alternative to not throwing the used powder in the bin.
Well, there are many ways to give coffee a second life.
In this article we will explain how to use expired or used coffee and avoid throwing it in the bin!
What can be done with coffee grounds left over?
Two billion cups of coffee are consumed every day, and 50% of the coffee grounds are used to fuel the unsustainable accumulation of trash. There are, however, a variety of creative ways to recycle the coffee grounds and engage in more sustainable consumption than simply throwing them in the trash.
The used powder can be recycled to further clean the home, get rid of odours, and help with gardening tasks.
Here are the most interesting tips we have found for recycling coffee:
- Body care: coffee grinds can be used to make natural cosmetics In fact, they naturally lend themselves to creating soaps, efficient scrubs, or natural hair toners that fight cellulite. Place the money in the freezer, in case of injuries, it makes excellent ice replacements.
- Care for the environment: Coffee has many beneficial properties that can be used to naturally resolve minor domestic issues. Removes refrigerator and cabinetry odours, wipes off furniture’s scratches, fills the air with fragrance, and deters abrasion.
- Kitchen use: dusting glasses with coffee powder before pouring cocktails and swapping out huge amounts of beans for coffee when baking to avoid leavening.
- Gardening: Coffee grinds work well as a natural insecticide and fertiliser.
We’ll go over the best ways to use the funds in the following paragraphs.
To give your hair a more intense colour
If you love natural hair dyes and use masks and henna to revive your hair, you’ll love this secret!
To give your hair a more vibrant colour and intensify brown tones, you can add a little coffee powder to your hair products and leave it to work for a minute.
Over time, you will see your hair healthier and naturally toned down.
Recycle the coffee as an anti-cellulite scrub
Coffee grinds can be added to your anti-cellulite lotion to increase its effectiveness and give you smooth skin because of coffee’s exfoliating properties.
As an alternative, you can make your own cure by mixing the coffee grounds with coconut oil or honey and applying it to the cellulite-affected regions. Before beginning the rinse, the product should be rubbed into the cellulite-affected area and given time to work.
In this approach, coffee stimulates circulation and aids in the removal of fat deposits in addition to making the skin supple and compact.
Use as a natural exfoliant
Companies who manage to reduce waste while providing more all-natural and potent products value the use of coffee grounds in the manufacturing of cosmetics.
Coffee grounds can be used as a natural exfoliator. In fact, the action of the coarser-chopped particles eliminates dead skin cells and deeply cleanses the skin.
Simply combine the powder with creamy ingredients, such as coconut oil, honey, or water, to make a coffee-based scrub.
Making soaps to eliminate unpleasant odours
If you have golden hands and are looking for crafts with coffee grounds, this is for you.
You can make hand soaps to give as gifts or keep at home by adding coffee powder to the soap recipe.
This way you can make a soap that will remove persistent and unpleasant fish and garlic odours from your hands.
Put in the freezer and use instead of ice.
This may come as a surprise to you, but frozen coffee is an excellent remedy for dark circles, bruises, and injuries.
In fact, if you store coffee grounds in an ice bag and place them in the freezer, you can use them just as a substitute for ice.
Also, unlike coffee cubes, coffee does not melt, and its effect is longer lasting.
Ice cubes for the white russian
Your kitchen coffee corner can also be used to prepare some excellent coffee-based cocktails.
A good place to start is the white russian, an alcoholic drink made from coffee liqueur, fresh cream, and vodka.
For an original touch, you can use coffee ice cubes and decorate the glass with ground coffee.
To put on cakes that do not need to rise
Coffee beans are very useful in the kitchen for keeping shortcrust pastry low and compact. Simply allow the beans to cool after use and store them in a jar.
You can use the grains multiple times, just as legumes. After use, you can reuse them multiple times by putting the beans in a jar after they have cooled.
Recycling coffee to remove unpleasant odours from drawers and shoe cupboards
A little old or used coffee is enough to make drawers and shoe cupboards smell better.
To do this, simply dry the coffee thoroughly, place it in a cotton handkerchief and wait for a delicate, pleasant smell to waft through your underwear and shoes.
Use leftover coffee to remove scratches from furniture
Coffee grounds are a great solution to hide scratches or other minor incidental damage to furniture. In fact, if the scratches are just minor, it may not always be necessary to seek professional restoration, especially if there are young children or pets present that could cause more harm to the furniture.
By applying a paste created with the funds and a little water, it is possible to hide the abrasions effectively. Examine the furniture’s coloration and consider that the coffee may darken the region to be treated before using this method.
Refrigerator fragrance
Recycling expired coffee is a very useful practice in household cleaning.
Did you know that coffee powder can also be used to remove unpleasant odours from the refrigerator?
If you want to test its effectiveness, place a small bowl of coffee powder in the refrigerator and leave it for a few hours. You will see that unpleasant odours will disappear and opening the refrigerator will no longer be a problem.
To perfume the rooms
With ground coffee, whether used or too old to make a good espresso, you can make original scented candles to deodorize your home and make the air in your rooms pleasant.
You don’t need a lot of manual skills, you just need to take a tealight or another type of candle, melt it and mix it with coffee. Once mixed, you need to add a wick and pour it into the container to cool.
Coffee grounds can also be used for the same purpose, they swiftly get rid of lingering smells from the rooms. It is sufficient to arrange them in a container and set them near the smelly areas.
Use coffee grounds to perfume your car
Instead of the usual scented trees or strong-smelling chemical air fresheners, you can use recycled coffee to make a natural air freshener for your car. All you need to make it is the tip of a pair of tights and well-dried coffee powder.
Fill the sock with coffee, close it tightly and hang it up in your car. You will notice that your car will have a pleasant smell after a few moments.
As a cleaner for steel objects and surfaces
To clean and degrease pots and pans, encrusted cookers and remove residue from oven walls, you can put coffee on a cloth and wipe the surface to be cleaned.
Once you’ve rinsed, you’ll see your appliances shine like new.
As pen holders or jars
If you buy your coffee in tin cans, you can make attractive holders or pots for your indoor plants.
The tins are also ideal for making pen and pencil holders for children.
To antique cotton garments
One of the oldest ways to dye light-coloured fabrics is to soak them in a solution of water and coffee.
This treatment gives the fabrics an ivory colour, which is very beautiful to look at. Our grandmothers also used it for wedding dresses, and as an alternative to coffee, they also used tea.
To achieve the right colour tone, simply boil tea bags or coffee grounds in water and dip the garments in it until the water has cooled completely. After dying the fabric, the water must be salted coarsely in order to preserve the colour. A crucial safety measure is to wash the item in cold water and avoid drying it in direct sunlight.
To keep insects out of the garden and infested areas of the house
Used coffee is an important ally in the fight against slugs, ants, and bedbugs. Slugs are very fond of vegetables and their presence is very damaging to gardens and crops. To keep them away naturally, you can sprinkle your vegetable garden with coffee grounds. In fact, the terpenes and caffeine contained in the funds make wonderful organic repellents that don’t harm kids or the environment.
Coffee grounds can also be used in the home to keep ants and bugs away. Sprinkle it in passages and infested areas and your home will be free of these annoying intruders.
As a fertiliser for carrots, flowers, and mushrooms.
If you combine coffee grounds with carrot seeds, you will see that you get healthy and robust seedlings. Be careful not to use it with ripe carrots, that would be a waste!
Recycled coffee is also excellent as a fertiliser for home-grown mushrooms. In fact, its acidic characteristics are very helpful for the success of your home cultivation.
In addition to food, coffee powder also makes flowers grow better. Its action is very useful for flowers that are suitable for acidic soils such as roses, camellias, and rhododendrons.
However, the best way for using coffee grounds in gardening and not harm the plants, is to store them for around three months before use. Additionally, during this time, the powder will produce nutrients and mineral salts that are important for plant growth.
We hope you enjoyed our article.
If you want more information on Pontevecchio lever coffee machines, contact us. We are at your disposal to explain all the advantages of a professional coffee machine.
