We may be a little biased, but we believe coffee is magic. Not only is it an elixir of morning joy and productivity, it can also be a body scrub, plant food, natural cleaner, and more. Here we’re going to tell you our favorite ways to use our spent coffee grounds.
Beauty:
Make a Coffee Body Scrub
You’ve seen the fancy coffee/sugar scrubs in stores, but have you ever considered making it yourself? In addition to exfoliating away dead skin cells, coffee grounds can help reduce the appearance of cellulite due to caffeine’s tightening effect. The massaging action also stimulates blood flow throughout your skin. Our favorite way to make this is to mix dry coffee grounds (about ¼ cup) with an equal amount of sea salt or sugar and 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. You can also add 5-10 drops of your favorite essential oil.
Heads up! Coffee grounds are a plumber's worst nightmare. A good way to break down and clean out coffee grounds that have become lodged in plumbing is to use baking soda. Coffee grounds break down with alkaline cleaners rather than acidic solutions, which is why baking soda works so well for removing it.
Create a Delicious Coffee Lip Exfoliator
By exfoliating your lips you can help eliminate some of the dry, flaking skin that build up and immediately restore some shine, softness, and smoothness. Make an easy and enjoyable exfoliator by mixing coffee grounds with honey for a lip exfoliating scrub.
Reduce Dark Circles & Under-Eye Puffiness With Caffeine
Your coffee beans might be waking you up internally, but did you know you can also use them to “wake up” your face? Once cool, apply your coffee grounds to the under-eye area and if you’re careful enough, your eyelids. Keep it on for about twenty minutes then rinse off with cool water. The caffeine in the grounds will reduce that sleepy puffiness.
Use Coffee to Remove Buildup From Hair & Scalp
Did you know that soaps will stay and build up on your scalp and in your hair? This can lead to a lackluster dull appearance. Get rid of dead skin cells and other buildup by applying 1/3 cup of coffee grinds onto your wet scalp. Massage with your fingertips in a circular motion for about one minute, rinse then wash and condition your hair as usual. (If your hair is bleached or dyed, try a small sample first to make sure it doesn’t alter your color.)
Gardening with Coffee:
Pests Hate Coffee
Coffee grounds are toxic to many insects, and can be used to repel mosquitoes, fruit flies, beetles, and many other pests. Try sprinkling some around outdoor seating areas, just make sure that it’s out of reach to pets as coffee can be toxic to dogs and cats.
Fertilize Your Garden With Coffee
Coffee grounds contain nitrogen, calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, and chromium—all of which help plants grow!. Sprinkle throughout your plants every 2-4 weeks and watch them flourish!
Coffee Around the Home:
Natural Coffee Deodorizer
Did you know that perfumeries use coffee beans to clean their scent pallets between testing new scents? This is because coffee grounds contain nitrogen, which helps eliminate sulfur gas from the air when it’s combined with carbon, making it a natural deodorizer!
Here are a few ways to use coffee as a natural deodorizer in your home:
- Place a bowl of coffee grounds in your fridge or freezer to neutralize odors from spoiled or fragrant foods.
- Keep coffee grounds near the sink and use them to scrub your hands after chopping garlic or onions.
Fleas Hate Coffee Too
Fleas, like many other pests, do not like coffee. Use coffee grounds for natural flea removal by simply rubbing coffee grounds through your pet’s fur after shampooing. Make sure to rinse it out thoroughly after, since coffee isn’t good for your pets to consume either.
Natural Cleaning Coffee Scrub
You know now that you can use coffee grounds as a body scrub, but now we’re going to show you how to give your home some TLC too. Coffee grounds are abrasive and can help remove buildup on hard-to-clean surfaces. They can help sanitize due to their antibacterial and antiviral properties too. Use them to scour pots and pans instead of harsh scrubs. However, make sure not to use it on anything porous since coffee can stain!
Do you feel the coffee magic now?
Check out some of our favorite grounds to get you started.
