5 smart ways to use your leftover coffee grounds

Coffee has become the go-to-beverage for people around the globe. It is an essential part of most people's daily lives: it gives us the caffeine boost we need to get going in the morning or to bounce back from that afternoon slump. But almost everyone’s coffee experience ends the same way with the used coffee grounds into the trash can. However, there are many uses of this magical bean. From practical uses for home and garden operations to cleaning hacks, coffee grounds can be used in numerous ways. Here are some brilliant hacks to reuse leftover coffee grounds.

Coffee grounds enjoy absorbing all odours in their surroundings. Rather than using baking soda, try putting a bowl of coffee grounds in the fridge to get rid of stale food odours or in the closet to get rid of musty odours. You can place some dried used grounds in a shallow jar in the back of your refrigerator. The nitrogen present in the coffee grounds that shapes them into such excellent soil amendment also reacts with sulphur in the air, drawing it out and trapping it in the grounds. Furthermore, this isn't just a refrigerator deodorizer, it works almost anywhere there are bad odours.

Bring back that shine to your everyday-use utensils and make your pots and pans brand-new with the help of coffee grounds! Coffee grounds have a coarse texture that is abrasive enough to scrub stuck-on food off the bottoms of pots and pans without damaging the surfaces. By using a scouring pad, few detergent drops and a gentle sprinkling of coffee grounds, the leftover food debris can be easily removed.

Create coffee-based candles to envelop your home with the incredible aroma of coffee. With just four ingredients, coffee grounds, wax, a candle wick, and your favorite jar; gradually pour the wax into a small jelly jar, adding coffee grounds as you go. Light one of such candles and your living space will be transformed into coffee-scented heaven. As the candles burn down, the intoxicating smell of coffee will capture everybody’s attention, creating a tranquilizing and pleasant atmosphere.

Since most soils lack vital nutrients required for plants’ optimal growth, plants growing in such soils remain depleted as they do not absorb sufficient nutrients needed for their development. As a result, most gardens require fertilization to ensure that plants receive the nutrition they require to survive. Coffee grounds contain essential nutrients that aid in drainage, water retention, and soil ventilation in your garden. You can sprinkle coffee grounds thinly onto the soil or add them to your compost pile to use as a fertilizer. Spreading coffee grounds around your garden attract worms, providing a wealth of nutrients that would relish your garden’s growth and quality. This is especially beneficial for roses, azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, and other acidic-loving flowers.

Coffee grounds also help with pest control in the garden. Snails, slugs, and ants are deterred by the scattering of brewed grounds in garden beds or on top of potted plants. You can also mound the ground into a band to create a barrier around plants that wards off ants and slugs. Just keep in mind that as coffee grounds degrade, they will make everything more acidic.

You can also spread a 1-2 inch thick line around susceptible areas of your home to deter ant colonies from entering. Every two weeks, you should replace that line with new grounds.

By: Girish Chandra, Beverage Training Manager, Lavazza India