Throwing away coffee grounds is one of the most common mistakes one can make. After all, whether out of haste, laziness or simple (and justified) ignorance, we have all made this mistake at least once in our lives.
The problem is that 50% of the coffee grounds we throw away inevitably end up feeding the rubbish, which is already saturated enough in itself. And, as if this were not enough, it is a waste, given the numerous uses that can be made of these leftovers.
For proper recycling, however, you must first know how to use coffee grounds: an answer that we will provide you with in this article, showing you that these so undervalued ‘waste’ possesses great potential, which you just have to learn to exploit to your advantage.
How to use coffee grounds
We coffee experts were the first to be surprised when we discovered the countless ways in which the grounds of our favourite beverage can be recycled. Believe it or not, in fact, these are uses in various fields: from home care to body care, from gardening to textiles, and even improvements to our health!
And, to all this, you must then add the great ethical value that the act of recycling takes on: probably one of the most sustainable and ecological gestures you can make. Having clarified this, therefore, let us discover together all the ways in which you can reuse coffee grounds!
Fertiliser for plants
Coffee grounds can be used as an excellent fertiliser for plants. This is because they contain minerals such as nitrogen, calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium and chromium, which are essential nutrients for plants. This is especially true for flowers that prefer acidic soils, such as roses, azaleas, rhododendrons, evergreens and camellias.
Dyeing fabrics
Did you know that one of the oldest systems for dyeing light-coloured fabrics consists of soaking the garments in a solution of water and coffee? This treatment gives fabrics an ivory colour that is very beautiful to look at. Our grandmothers also used it for wedding dresses as an alternative to tea.
To achieve the right shade of colour, simply boil tea bags or coffee grounds in water and dip the garments in it until the water has cooled completely.
For the colour to remain on the fabrics, coarse salt should be added to the water and rinsed after dyeing. Another important precaution is to wash the garment in cold water and not expose it directly to the sun while drying.
Freshener for the home and refrigerator
One of the main advantages of coffee grounds is that they quickly eliminate unpleasant odours from the environment. All you have to do is place them in a bowl and place it in the ‘contaminated’ area of the house, which will no longer smell in a short time. Similarly, you can experience the same effect with refrigerator odours by placing the same bowl inside.
Repel insects and pests
If you want to rid your house or garden of insects and pests quickly and painlessly, you can make use of coffee grounds: a substance that is particularly unpleasant for bugs, ants and even snails. All you have to do is sprinkle a little of it in the places where these unpleasant animals pass by and annoyed by the smell, they will inevitably end up moving elsewhere.
Cleaning pots and pans
Thanks to their rough texture, coffee grounds are excellent allies in the cleaning of pots and pans. By spreading them on their surface and rubbing them with a sponge, you can easily remove even the most stubborn deposits, making your pots and pans shinier and brighter than ever!
Skin scrub
The aforementioned rough texture of coffee grounds also acts as an excellent exfoliant for the skin, gently removing dead cells and dirt. Mixing them with a little coconut oil or plain water, therefore, makes a very natural scrub, which is also great for the lips (in the latter case, however, we recommend mixing coffee grounds with honey).
Reduce cellulite
Did you ever know that caffeine is an excellent anti-cellulite treatment? By mixing coffee grounds with coconut oil, you get an excellent firming solution which, rubbed into the affected areas for 10 minutes, twice a week, will help break down fat deposits and improve blood circulation, resulting in aesthetic benefits.
Stimulate hair growth
Besides working great on the body in general, coffee grounds also act positively on your hair, helping to stimulate its growth. This is why our advice is to use them as a real exfoliant for your scalp, once or twice a week, and then rinse them out with a normal shampoo.
Hair Reflexer
A slightly more aesthetic use of coffee grounds is to use them as a hair colour enhancer. If you like the idea of embellishing your hair with dark highlights for a 100% natural look, simply mix some grounds with henna.
Alternatively, you can also use leftover coffee, as long as it is cold and very diluted. In the latter case, however, you only need to sprinkle it on during the last rinse, thus reviving your hair colour.
Making anti-odour soap
If you have golden hands and are looking for crafts with coffee grounds, this is just the thing for you. You can make hand soaps to give as gifts or keep at home by adding coffee powder to the soap recipe. In this way you will make a bar of soap that will remove persistent and annoying odours from your hands.
Repairing scratches on furniture
Coffee grounds are an excellent solution for covering scratches or minor accidental damage on furniture. If the scratches are superficial, it is not always necessary to resort to professional restoration, especially when there are children or animals in the house that could damage the furniture again.
By applying a paste created with coffee grounds and a little water, abrasions can be effectively concealed. Before trying this solution, however, we advise you to carefully assess the colouring of the furniture, as caffeine could easily darken it.
Facial Mask
Would you like to have a face with smooth, glowing, coffee-scented skin? If the answer is yes, then you will find this use of coffee grounds extremely appealing. What you can do, in fact, is to use them to prepare a real beauty mask by mixing the following ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons of coffee grounds;
- 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder;
- 2 tablespoons of milk or yoghurt (also vegetable yoghurt if you prefer)
- 1 tablespoon of honey or malt.
Once you have the right consistency, apply the mask to wet skin and leave it on for about 15 to 20 minutes, then proceed with the normal rinsing. The result will leave you speechless!
Conclusion
Now that you know how to use coffee grounds, you just must find the use that best suits your needs. If you are a gardening enthusiast, you have just discovered several strategies that will undoubtedly come in handy; if, on the other hand, you prefer to use the grounds for the benefit of your skin, you now know exactly how to do it.
We could go on forever discussing how best to use coffee grounds, but the truth is that their use is entirely personal and based on your specific needs. The only advice we would give you, which would give you even greater satisfaction in recycling them, is to make sure that they come from a professionally prepared coffee with a flavour that will win you over.
After all, the secret of its goodness lies in its preparation. And it is well known that, if you want to drink a good coffee, you should do it with the right machine. Here at Pontevecchio, in particular, we specialise in the production of lever machines that, unlike classic coffee machines, allow you to fully enjoy the blend you have chosen, keeping all its nutrients intact.
A detail, the latter, that will make your coffee unique and its grounds precious, to the point that you will no longer want to throw them away, preferring to allocate them to the uses we have recommended. So, what are you waiting for? Discover the right coffee machine for you and get lots of beautiful grounds to indulge in!