Life Hack: How to use coffee grounds in gardening, household cleaning and more

Make your cup of coffee go further with these green tips and trick

You can add coffee grounds directly to the soil around a plant for a slow-release of nitrogen.

If you enjoy a homemade cup of coffee to start your day or to combat that mid-afternoon slump, you’re probably going through a lot of coffee grounds, especially if you have a coffee machine.

Don’t toss used coffee grounds straight into the bin, however: they are so useful in a number of areas, from gardening to cleaning.

One well-known thing about coffee grounds is that they are rich in nitrogen. If you have a compost heap, then you should definitely be adding coffee grounds to it. They are an excellent green component for them and can help to balance carbon-rich brown materials like dry leaves and paper.

Another use for them in your garden or in your indoor plants is to use them as fertiliser, again thanks to its abundance of nitrogen.

Add the coffee grounds directly to the soil around a plant for a slow release of nitrogen to give that plant a boost. The coffee grounds can help to improve soil structure, and they can also improve water retention, so they are an excellent option for gardeners.

CLIMATE & SUSTAINABILITY HUB

If you struggle with slugs and snails around your plants, it is a great eco-friendly and cruelty-free way to keep them away from the leaves. The smell and texture of coffee grounds also repel cats from garden beds, so it’s a handy option to keep local strays from using your flowerbed as a litter tray.

Around your home, the smell of freshly made coffee is always a welcome scent so it’s hardly a surprise that coffee grounds can act as an odour neutraliser. Dried coffee grounds can be placed in a breathable container like a sock or an old jam jar with holes in the lid to neutralise smells in places like fridges and wardrobes. They can also help to combat stinky shoes.

My fellow dog owners will know it can be difficult to neutralise the scent of a pet around your home, but coffee grounds can help here. Mix dry coffee grounds with sodium bicarbonate/baking soda and lightly sprinkle this on carpets.

Let it sit for 15 minutes before vacuuming it away, leaving a delightful scent and neutralising odours. Make sure to test this on a hidden spot first to avoid stains, particular on pale carpets.

Damp coffee grounds can also be tossed onto ashes when you’re cleaning by out your fireplace. This prevents dust from clouding the air while you sweep out the ashes.

Another use for damp coffee counts is pretreating dark laundry. Rub some damp coffee grounds onto greasy or odour-laden stains on your dark clothes before washing — it is essential to only do this on dark clothes as the coffee could stain lighter colours to a brown shade.

If you have some grimy pots and pans and want to put some oomph into your elbow grease, mix coffee grounds into soap to make a gentle abrasive solution. This can make scrubbing pots, pans and other surfaces much easier, thanks to the coarse texture and gives a satisfying result.

Speaking of scrubs, coffee grounds can also be used in your beauty routine. They are a great natural exfoliant for the face and body. You can also mix some into your shampoo for a deeper hair treatment, removing product buildup and scrubbing the scalp as an extra stimulant.

In cold weather, sprinkle used coffee grounds on icy footpaths: this can improve traction so you are less likely to slip when walking on it and the acidity of the coffee grounds can slightly melt ice too.

Coffee grounds can help disguise any scratches on dark wood in your home temporarily. Mix some used coffee grounds with a small amount of olive oil, making a thick paste. Use a cloth to rub this into any scratches on dark wood furniture. This will temporarily disguise minor scratches and restore depth to the wood.

If you enjoy a homemade craft, coffee grounds can also add to your arising endeavours. You can use them to dye paper, wood and fabric a natural brown colour. If you make your own candles, mix some coffee grounds into the melted wax for a beautiful scent. In homemade soap, coffee grounds can act as an exfoliant.