I remember reading somewhere that we don’t really calculate life in hours, minutes, seconds or years, but rather in a coffee spoon. I have to agree with this one – if I did that right, I would assume that my age would be about two freight containers loaded to the brim with coffee.
Anyway, today’s discussion won’t revolve around coffee, per se, but the coffee ground. Yup the icky stuff that normally ends clogging the kitchen sink has several benefits. So without prolonging the pain too much, here are 9 ingenious ways to reuse coffee grounds.
Pots and pans detail
The only thing worse than burning your food is that afterwards you have to scrape the pot or pan. It’s annoying, because the scorch mark will always stick to your cookware no matter how vigorously you clean. If all else fails, make use of coffee grounds. Although the stuff has been drenched in hot water, it’s still pretty abrasive-good news for you, bad news for whatever dirt is left on the pot. Personally, I prefer to give the skillets every now and then a scrub through the coffee grounds. That’s why I keep a box of that stuff next to the kitchen sink.
Creating awesome marinades
Cooking is perfect because it enables you to play with combinations of different ingredients. Take marinades, for example. There are 5 basic ingredients in each marinade: oil, salt, pepper, water, and spice mix. This doesn’t need to deter us from trying other things, though. Scented oils, veggie mix, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, and whatnot are used by others. Personally, I prefer to use the soil for coffee. It also gives it a smoky, earth-like scent and aftertaste, aside from the fact that it makes the meat practically melt in your mouth (try this the next time you’re going to cook pulled pork). Not to mention the fact that it is a perfect way to recycle coffee soil that would end up in the landfill in 99.9 percent of cases.
Related: 23 Things a Prepper Should Never Throw Away
Giving plants a run for their money
I have been asked by many people what kind of chemicals I use in the greenhouse. Ok I’m not using that stuff because I don’t want to end up with tomatoes from the supermarket. Currently, I make my own coffee-ground compost, wilted vegetables, and dung. Plants love it simply. Sure, to walk around the compost pile, you need to wear a hazard mask, but nothing beats a delicious and nutritious veggie dinner.
No more ice-skating
If you’re having trouble figuring out a way to remove the ice from your driveway with destroying the driveway in the process, try with coffee grounds. That stuff provides great traction while melting the ice.
Getting rid of dead skin and acne
Acne is always an issue, regardless of whether you’re 14 or 44. If there is a better choice using new coffee grounds, don’t waste your cash on costly skin creams. Stick them inside a food processor and give them a few spins after the ground cools down. Scrub the face and other parts of the body using this fine powder.
No more ants in the pants (or food basket)
Summer is just around the corner, and we all know what this means: picnics, hiking, and driving for the entire family. Sprinkle some coffee grounds in the picnic area, if you don’t want to see any ants or other bugs crawling all over your food. They’re despised by them. Caffeine, the very same substance that gives us a kick in the morning, apparently disrupts their central nervous systems, according to researchers, making the critters feel incredibly anxious.
Related: 18 Vintage Homesteading Tools to Search for at Garage Sales
Getting rid of nasty fridge smells
I know no one’s in the mood at the end of the week to pull it all out of the fridge and scrub the thing clean. Obviously, you’re going to end up with a smelly fridge if you delay this for too long. Now, if you’re not a clean freak, by placing some coffee ground on a plate or small cup, you may be able to get rid of foul smells from the fridge. Within the fridge, put it and that’s it. As an air freshener, you can also use the same material. FYI, coffee grounds are extremely effective in eliminating the scent of tobacco from the room.
Grow your own shrooms
No, not mushrooms of that sort, because they’re illegal. I’ve been thinking more about the row of champignons, the same shrooms that you find in every supermarket. It’s super quick to get it done. Take a bucket plastic and fill it up with some earth. Use a trowel or hands to apply a pinch of compost and mix. For shroom seeds, take a look around the gardening section at your nearest supermarket. They’re very inexpensive (approximately $1 per package).Empty the pack’s content in the bucket, water, and place in a dark room with a loss of moisture. I personally keep my bucket shrooms in the basement. You’ll be able to harvest and use them for cooking your favorite meals after a couple of weeks.
Keeping mold away from your linen closet
Nothing beats taking a whiff of those freshly ironed bedsheets and opening your wardrobe. Yeah, if your nose were to be struck by a rancid smell, you wouldn’t feel that way. That’s the issue of keeping linen under lock and key for way too long. They appear to smell of mold. There’s a fast way to prevent that from happening, though, and it doesn’t require washing, ironing or buying costly fresheners for the wardrobe.
Fill a small satchel with coffee grounds and put it between the bedsheets. The coffee grounds will remove any mold from the closet and make your linen smell as though it had just been pulled from the washing machine. For your closet and drawers, where you keep items like underwear and socks, you can also do the same. These ground coffee sacks will also keep your clothes safe from moths and other critters.
Well, that’s about it on how to reuse coffee grounds around the house. What’s your take on this? Hit the comments section and let me know.
