For many, coffee is the sweet elixir of life. It is the only way to start the day and often the only way to get through it. If you are a coffee lover then you likely make a lot of your coffee at home. Congrats, that is a great way to save money as the price people charge for coffee in shops is absolutely ridiculous. However, with homebrew there is one price to pay, the build-up of coffee grounds. If your life has become a series of decisions on how to dispose of coffee grounds then we have good news for you. Read on to find out the best ways to use your grounds of coffee.
The first way to dispose of coffee grounds is to just wash them down your drain. This is probably the most popular method as the drain is so nearby and so easy to use. The only downside is that these coffee grounds will eventually lead to serious clogs in your sink and cause you a lot of stress, unhappiness, and financial woe. So, let’s not do that one anymore.
The second option is to put the coffee grounds in your compost heap. This is a perfect solution as they are an ideal compost material. If you have a compost heap, this is a great solution but many people don’t. Fear not, there are many other great solutions.
A quick warning on your coffee grounds. They are incredibly useful in a number of different areas, and while you are deciding how best to use them you will likely keep your grounds and store them for a while. I once visited a friend who was storing all her coffee grounds for weeks. They had started to turn moldy. If you need to store your grounds make sure you pop them in the fridge or freezer to avoid any mold situations.
The most common use of coffee grounds is for your plants. They are great fertilizers and can be used as they are by just mixing them into the soil around your plants or if you prefer you can mix them with water and let them sit for a few days. Then filter out the water and use it to water your plants. The minerals in coffee are excellent for plant growth. So much so, if you have a garden and don’t drink coffee, pass by your local coffee shop and ask for the leftovers.
Worms are the one pest we have found that likes coffee, which is great for your plants. The minerals in coffee are toxic to other pests so you should see fewer mosquitos, beetles, and others around your house if you have little pots of coffee grounds.
One of the worst parts about drinking coffee is how strongly it stains. It stains your teeth, if you spill it on a shirt, it will stain that forever. Coffee stains are hard to remove and while this is a bad thing we can use it to our advantage. If you have some wooden furniture that you want to age you could mix water with coffee and let it seep for a few hours, filter the water and use it as a varnish for your furniture. It works well for art projects as well if you want to give some paper an aged look a coffee stain is a great approach.
Coffee grounds are a versatile material rich in great minerals. These home applications are just the beginning of ways you can put coffee grounds into fantastic uses. We haven’t even touched on how great coffee grounds can be for your face and hair. Whatever you do, please stop putting the coffee grounds down the drain.
