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how to use grounds
  • Natural Home

16 Things to Do With Used Coffee Grounds

Katie WellsMay 21, 2020
Reading Time: 6 min

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Wellness Mama » Blog » Natural Home » 16 Things to Do With Used Coffee Grounds

I really enjoy the challenge of trying to use every last bit of something.

There are so many wonderful things you can make from things most people throw away. Like making nutrient-dense bone broth from a leftover roasted chicken, or repurposing scarves or brown paper grocery bags to make an eco-friendly gift wrap. These things can be expensive if you buy them anyway, so it’s a win-win!

Used coffee grounds are another great opportunity for recycling, and they have tons of uses that you probably never even thought about!

How to Repurpose Used Coffee Grounds

So many people wake up so fixated on their morning cup of coffee that they toss the grounds right into the trash without a second thought!

However, there are so many wonderful things you can do with used coffee grounds. The next time you go to throw out those lovely grounds out of pure habit, reconsider and see if you’d rather give one of these ideas a try instead.

If you don’t drink coffee but would still like to try any of the following ideas, just bring a clean container to your local coffee shop or Starbucks and ask them to save you their used grounds. If you ask nicely, I bet they’ll comply!

For Your Beauty Routine

You might want to store some of those morning coffee grinds in your shower for your afternoon pick-me-up. You can use it to make your hair shiny, as a body scrub, or even use it as a star ingredient in your next batch of homemade soap.

Eliminate Build-Up in Your Hair

After making the switch to natural shampoo, some people experience build-up in their hair. This is a natural process as your body adjusts to being cleaned without the harsh chemicals that previously stripped your scalp of its natural oils.

Used coffee grounds are great for getting rid of that extra build-up. To exfoliate your hair, use 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of used coffee grounds, depending on hair length. Wet your hair thoroughly and massage the grounds in, giving special attention to your scalp. It might help to work in sections. Once you have covered the whole scalp, thoroughly wet your hair again and use your natural shampoo to work up a nice lather. Rinse and repeat, if needed. Finish with your normal conditioner or apple cider vinegar rinse.

Repeat this once a month or as needed. I was amazed at how light and shiny my hair felt after just one application!

Note: If you have blonde or color-treated hair, you may want to test an inconspicuous area to make sure the coffee doesn’t change its color. I personally didn’t experience any color change, but it’s best to make sure before you do a full exfoliation.

Make a Body Scrub

Coffee makes a great body scrub. In addition to sloughing off dead skin cells, coffee grounds can help reduce the appearance of cellulite since caffeine has a tightening effect.

If you have ever tried my Vanilla Latte Sugar Scrub, you know how invigorating it is. The coffee grounds and sugar gently exfoliate the skin leaving it soft and smooth. The massaging action also stimulates blood flow, so it’s healthy for your skin as well.

Note that you should use dry coffee for this sugar scrub, as the moisture in used coffee grounds will cause it to go bad.

  • To make a simple coffee scrub, mix coffee grounds (about ¼ cup) with an equal amount of sea salt and 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. You can also add 5-10 drops of your favorite essential oil. I used peppermint because who doesn’t love the smell of peppermint coffee?
  • To use, massage 1-2 tablespoons of the scrub into your skin during a shower, focusing on problem areas such as legs, belly, and derriere to fight cellulite. Rinse with warm water. Repeat 2-3 times a week. This amount should be enough for roughly 6 applications. Store in the fridge and use within two weeks.

Make Soap

Coffee grounds make a wonderfully exfoliating addition to homemade soap. Plus, it comes with the same cellulite-fighting powers mentioned above!

To make an extra invigorating shower bar, add 1-2 teaspoons of used coffee grounds per pound of soap after you’ve completed the mixing process.

In the Garden

While coffee itself is acidic, its grounds are actually closer to neutral because most of the acidity is “washed” out when the coffee is brewed. This makes them great for use in the garden! Here’s how to use it.

For Your Compost Pile

If you aren’t composting, you really should give it a try — especially if you have a garden. Composting is really easy to do and adds lots of beneficial nutrients to your soil.

Used coffee grounds are considered green matter for compost and should not make up more than 25% of your pile. If you are just adding grounds from your own coffee pot, you probably won’t add too much if you’re composing enough other material, like grass clippings and eggshells. Coffee filters are biodegradable as well, so go ahead and throw that into the mix!

Help Plants and Flowers Grow

To give your plants a nitrogen boost, scatter used coffee grounds to amend your garden soil and till them into the top few inches. Doing this will help aerate the soil and also give plants a nitrogen boost.

Be sure to spread some coffee grounds on your flower beds as well. Hydrangeas, azaleas, rhododendrons, and other acid-loving plants will bloom better than ever.

Attract Worms

Earthworms love coffee grounds, and that’s a good thing! We want these garden helpers to break down organic matter and move nutrients down into the soil. Plus, if you enjoy fishing, you’ll grow some nice fat worms for your hook.

Keep Pests Away

While coffee grounds attract earthworms, they also act as a repellent for pests like slugs and snails. Make a barrier around plants that are susceptible to these unwanted critters, as they hate the abrasive texture.

Grow Mushrooms

Save on the farmers market splurge and grow your own organic mushrooms at home. You’ll need a lot of coffee grounds for this, so save them up!

Here is a good tutorial on how to grow mushrooms using coffee grounds. I haven’t personally tried this, but it looks like a fun project.

Around the House

Freshen up your cleaning routine with your coffee grind leftovers. You can use it to get odors out of tricky places, or even use them to make cleaning out the fireplace easier (yes, seriously!).

Deodorize the Fridge

You don’t need baking soda for this job! Simply place a bowl of used coffee grounds in your refrigerator to absorb odors, and replace them once a month. Instead of throwing them away, toss them into your compost pile. Congratulations, you got three uses out of this batch!

Clean Your Hands

Used coffee grounds are great for getting odors out of your hands after cooking. Whenever you chop onions or garlic, or work with fish, try scrubbing your hands well with used coffee grounds to remove the lingering smell.

Melt Icy Sidewalks and Driveways

If you ran out of salt to sprinkle on your porch, good news — used coffee grounds will work just as well! The acidity of the coffee combined with the grittiness of its texture makes for an ideal way to melt ice. Use it anywhere after you shovel for best results.

Clear Out the Garbage Disposal

Here’s a satisfying way to use coffee grounds really quickly! Use a very small amount to help deodorize a stinky garbage disposal. Large amounts might clog up the pipes, so be sure to use it very sparingly — and flush it down with lots of water.

Scrub Your Stubborn Pots and Pans

Got build-up on your cookware that even your heartiest sponge can’t erase? Try using coffee grounds to scrape off those stubborn bits of caked-on food. Be sure to rinse thoroughly before setting them in the drying rack. (Or buy non-toxic non-stick pans and save the scrubbing.)

Aids in Fireplace Clean-up

If you have a wood-burning stove or fireplace, old coffee grounds will become your best friend on cleaning day. Before sweeping out those ashes, cover them with a layer of wet coffee grounds to moisten and weigh them down. This will greatly reduce the amount of ash that will float up and coat your living room when you scoop them out.

Get Rid of Fleas

Does Fido have fleas again? Give him a good shampoo, then rub used coffee grounds all over his fur (just don’t let him eat it!). Like slugs or snails, fleas don’t enjoy coffee and this ought to be enough to get rid of most of them. Of course, this is no replacement to a prescription, so check with your vet if this treatment doesn’t work.

Crafts for Kids (or You!)

Feeling artsy? Try these fun ideas for your next creative project.

Create Vintage-Looking Paper

Soaking paper in coffee ground water can add an antique, old-world look to a piece of plain white paper. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 cup used coffee grounds and let them sit for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, paint your paper with the coffee water by applying once or twice per side, drying with a hair dryer in between coats. This gives the paper a somewhat stiff, slightly crinkled look and feel that’s perfect for scrapbooking.

For added effect, burn the edges slightly with a lighter. This paper also makes a wonderful treasure map for adventurous kids.

Make Fossils

This is great for school-aged kids. My kids love gathering little sticks and leaves when they are playing outside and they always want to bring them in and use them for crafts and little collections. Make this coffee ground dough and press with leaves, sticks, berries, etc. to make little fossils.

All you need is used coffee grounds, cold, coffee, salt, and flour (hey, just because we don’t eat it doesn’t mean we can’t play with it!)

Make round patties on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and let your kids make impressions using the “nature collection” as my daughter calls it. My kids like to use toy dinosaurs to make footprint impressions too.

Do you repurpose used coffee grounds? Did I miss any ideas? Share below!

Category: Natural Home

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About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a wife and mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

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Reader Interactions

Discussion (72 Comments)

  1. Kate

    February 21, 2016 at 12:21 PM

    Is it okay to use the grounds in the shower? I’m worried they might clog up my drain.

    Reply
    • Leah Bos

      February 21, 2016 at 4:07 PM

      Coffee Grinds are actually great for cleaning your drains!

      Reply
    • Beth

      February 24, 2016 at 11:42 AM

      You really shouldn’t let the grinds go down the drain. Although they can help clean your pipes initially, they can actually cause clogging farther down the line and cause problems you may not be aware of. I thought of maybe trying to create a filter to cover the shower drain so you can enjoy the benefits of the coffee grinds without them getting into the drains.

      Reply
  2. Jeri

    February 21, 2016 at 11:34 AM

    Can I save the grounds throughout the week to use in my household plants, set outside my house to keep cat away, and for slugs? Or do I have to use them daily?

    Reply
  3. Kayle Webster

    February 19, 2016 at 11:52 AM

    To think I have been just throwing them away. There are really so many more things that I haven’t thought I could do with them!

    Reply
  4. Marla King

    February 17, 2016 at 10:22 PM

    They are good to sprinkle around the flowerbeds to discourage outdoor cats from pottying in your flowers.

    Reply
    • Deb Smith

      February 21, 2016 at 12:36 PM

      This is good to know. All the neighborhood cats seem to use our yard as a dumping ground (and we’re fully fenced, so they are jumping the fence to get in the yard to do this little deed). I am not a fan of cats, not to mention I’m highly allergic to these critters, and I detest working around in my garden and smelling cat doo, not to mention how angry I get when I come across turds in my garden. grrrrrrrrrrrr.

      I tend to agree with my gramma who used to say cats belong in a barn, chasing and eating mice. Otherwise, cats are pretty much basically lazy.

      Reply
  5. April

    February 17, 2016 at 7:43 PM

    I am wondering how do you dry them out to save them after you take them out of the coffee pot?

    Reply
    • Deb Smith

      February 21, 2016 at 12:32 PM

      I would like to know this, as well. Some of the things mentioned (like composting) could use up “wet” coffee grounds, but I’m assuming for a lot of these suggestions you’d need to dry them out. How can a person do that? I have a countertop composter (which I no longer use for compost – just too much hassle right now – maybe I’ll do it again later) and I’m wondering if there’s a way I could just dump the used grounds into that (it has holes in the top) and stir them occasionally throughout the day to see if they’d dry without rotting.

      I have used them outdoors in garden beds and flower pots which is a great idea, but the best way to dry them out is a good question. Hope someone answers it.

      **You can also use them in your garbage disposal to keep it fresh. Dump the used ground into the disposal and turn it on for about one second and then turn it off, without the water running. Let it set until the next time you need your disposal whether it’s 10 minutes or 10 hours and it will help with build-up and smells. As far as putting it down your drains, however, I’d be careful not to use too much because you could also plug up the pipes farther down the line, unless you run a LOT of water through the pipes.

      Reply
      • Alisha

        February 22, 2016 at 11:07 AM

        I’m pretty sure that whatever calls for ‘dry’ grounds has not first been used in the coffee machine. They must be referring to fresh grounds.

        Reply
        • Deb Smith

          February 22, 2016 at 2:13 PM

          You could be right, but how would that help get rid of “used” grounds (as in the title of the article)? If you have the room and the time, drying the used grounds would be easy, I suppose. I would probably do as some here have suggested – use the oven on low temp to dry.

          Reply
        • Sandy Dayhoff

          March 8, 2020 at 12:43 PM

          We spread them out on an old cookie sheet and put by our woodstove. You can just put them in any warm area, or maybe in the over after baking something. They dry quickly this way.

          Reply
      • Miki

        February 22, 2016 at 5:03 PM

        Spent coffee grounds, like all high-tannin, high-acid berries, don’t actually rot, they ferment. When they are infected by mold colonies, they still smell fermented, not like rotting refuse. Regardless, the best way to dry spent grounds (which is, in fact, what we’re doing, not using fresh grounds except in soaps and bath products) is to lay them out in a sunny warm area. A couple of layers of newspaper can help facilitate the process by absorbing the leftover liquids. I keep my kitchen compost in a trough bucket under the kitchen sink and have never found it to be a hassle, but I will say this: coffee grounds sweeten the pot. I’d rather use compost that smells like soured coffee than rotting lettuce any day of the week! ; )

        Reply
      • Paul Cheng

        June 18, 2017 at 3:03 PM

        Hi Deb Smith:

        Can you tell us the brand of counter top composter that you used?
        We are very conscious of recycling but not many options.

        Thank you

        Paul

        Reply
    • Bernadette

      February 21, 2016 at 12:58 PM

      Sprinkle coffee on a serving tray and place in the sun ; in your porch; near a window sill. It doesn’t take long, then place in clean container until ready to use. When container is full, use the extra in your garden etc. But keep filling that container. As the idea’s come you will need a larger container.

      Reply
    • Lin

      February 21, 2016 at 1:23 PM

      I pour mine on a cookie sheet and set them in the oven and bake them on low setting stirring occasionally as needed until dry

      Reply
  6. Stacey

    February 17, 2016 at 1:16 PM

    I use them to clean greasy skillets after frying something like bacon. They soak up whatever grease is left over and then they help with the scrubbing.

    Reply
  7. Tricia

    February 17, 2016 at 10:27 AM

    I’ve mixed them into the soil of houseplants, it really helps them grow! (I always assumed it was the caffeine in the coffee that did it, since I never drink decaf). 🙂

    Reply
  8. Jerry Bottoms

    February 17, 2016 at 8:14 AM

    If you want to take the composting a step further, you can make a worm bed. Spent coffee grounds are excellent for this, as worms love them. Worm castings make a very rich compost.

    Reply
    • Jamie

      February 17, 2016 at 9:50 PM

      Would you mind explaining how to do this? I’d love to put my organic coffee grinds do better use n

      Reply
      • Jerry Bottoms

        February 18, 2016 at 7:34 AM

        You’ll find many great videos on Youtube. Type in “worm beds.”

        Reply
        • Jamie in Seattle

          May 16, 2019 at 8:54 AM

          I love this idea, but how do you keep the raccoons from digging everything up for the worms?!

          Reply
  9. Sherie Stroklund

    February 17, 2016 at 12:03 AM

    My grandma used to make pincushions with a margarine tub (they used to be decorated with flowers) and enough coffee grounds in a baggie to contain the grounds and packed firm with a piece of pretty fabric over the top and secured around the tub with like quilters pins. I still use them today. They keep the pins and needles from rusting and and enable them to glide in smoothly. Plus they are heavy enough to stay put on your sewing table.

    Reply
    • joy Larson

      February 21, 2016 at 5:28 PM

      great idea! I remember making those but with cotton ,however the coffee grounds sound perfect!
      thanks
      joy

      Reply
  10. Donna Lysinger

    February 16, 2016 at 11:33 PM

    I use left over coffee ground’s & wash them down the sink drain’s as it help’s to keep the sink drains clean.

    Reply
    • Tama Bell

      February 21, 2016 at 11:33 AM

      Me toooooo!!! It was a trick I learned from a Plumbers wife!

      Reply
    • Rikka Zimmerman

      February 21, 2016 at 12:13 PM

      Thanks for all the tips.

      Reply
    • Susan P

      February 21, 2016 at 3:03 PM

      I learned that trick from my uncle while I was in high school (50+ years ago). The hotter the water, the better. The hot water melts the grease and the coffee grounds provides the grit to push the grease down the drain.

      Reply
    • JD

      February 22, 2016 at 12:57 AM

      Coffee grounds are never supposed to be washed down the drain. They act as a sand or heavy dirt would clogging the pipes and main lines causing a lot of problems for the city lines. Remember this when using for your hair, soap or other uses that would cause them to end up in our city sewers.

      Reply
    • Patricia

      March 10, 2016 at 9:58 PM

      TO FLUSH OR NOT TO FLUSH: CAN COFFEE GROUNDS DAMAGE YOUR PIPES?

      Despite the old wives’ tale that coffee grounds down the sink each day is “good” for the plumbing, the truth is this:

      Nothing causes more blockages and clogged pipes than coffee grounds and grease.

      Even if you don’t put them down the drain at the same time, they’ll meet up and form a sludgy impenetrable nightmare.

      Reply
    • Lynn

      March 20, 2016 at 6:08 PM

      Coffee grounds are bad for your septic fields!

      Reply
    • JC

      August 25, 2019 at 5:52 AM

      Jeeze ppl. Throw them in a bowl or a plate, they’ll be dry by the next morning.

      Reply
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