Top 10 Uses For Used Coffee Grounds

After you make coffee at home, you have coffee grounds which you throw in trash, but do you know there are many uses for it. And some of them are given below:

Deodorizer: To remove unwanted food smells inside the fridge or freezer, dry the coffee grounds in a cookie sheet and then put it in a bowl in your fridge. Fill old nylons with the dry grounds, and tie off the ends. You can hang this in closets; it will absorb odors, also in the fridge.

Plant food: Many plants such as rosebushes, azaleas, rhododendrons, evergreen and camellias prefer acidic soil, coffee grounds helps in that regard, so you can drop the coffee grounds around the plant. Also the grounds can add nutrients if you are composting the plant wastes. Plants love some remnants of your cup of coffee, but make sure there is no sugar or cream, just plain black coffee. Want to start a worm farm? Mix horse manure and coffee grounds for your 'soil', just like the professionals.

Insect repellant: Coffee grounds are good ant repellent, just sprinkle some coffee grounds near ant hills or at borders where you want ants to be around. This will drive away ants to a different area. Also it helps to repel snails and slugs. Earl Proulx's "Yankee Home Hints" recommends sprinkling coffee grounds around your garden to eliminate cutworms and ants. He also says that "to get rid of ants in the lawn, mix about 1 pound of coffee grounds in 1 quart of hot water and pour this on anthills. Red ants, which make big hills, will require a big dousing."

Dye: By steeping coffee grounds in hot water, you can make brown dye for fabric, paper and even Easter eggs.

Furniture scratch cover-up: Steep coffee grounds in a little water and apply this paste to furniture scratches with a Q-tip, they say it helps to cover up scratches.

Cleaning product: If you have tough greases on dishes, or on floors, sprinkle coffee grounds acts as an abrasive and can be used as a good scouring agent. Flush them down your drains and let the abrasive action clean your pipes. (Not recommend for septic systems).

Kitty repellent: To keep kitty from using the garden as her personal powder room, sprinkle grounds mixed with orange peels around your plants.

Flea dip: Rid your pets of fleas with old coffee grounds. Shampoo your dog or cat as usual and when they are wet, rub their fur down thoroughly with coffee grounds all the way to their skin and work them in. Rinse the coffee grounds away. With this they say, it will make the pet's fur, soft and clean and fleas will disappear.

Dust inhibitor: Cleaning fireplace is not easy creates lots of dust, but when you sprinkle wet coffee grounds over the ashes first, it keeps the ash dust in control.

Cellulite reducer: This may sound weird, but most of the high priced cellulite creams have coffee in them. Here is the procedure: Mix 1/4 cup warm used coffee grounds and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. While standing over an old towel or newspaper, apply the mixture to your "problem areas". Next, wrap the areas with shrink wrap and leave on for several minutes. Unwind the wrap, brush loose grounds off your skin and then shower with warm water.

Skin and Hair Care: Used grounds make a good skin facial pack similar to a mud pack. They can be used for skin dermabrasion.

If you repeat this procedure twice a week, you will see the difference.

You can also see more tips at cocoajava.com, essortment.com, and mrsomalleys.com.

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