Coffee grounds often end up in the trash, but they have plenty of practical uses that can help your garden, your home, and even your personal care routine. Here are some straightforward ideas to make the most of them.
In the garden
Sprinkle grounds directly onto the soil around plants to add nitrogen, potassium, and other minerals. You can also mix grounds with water to create a gentle spray for your plants. Use them as a pest repellent by placing grounds around the base of plants to deter slugs, snails, and cats. The texture forms a barrier they dislike crawling over. Add used grounds to your compost bin as a green material. They are high in nitrogen, so balance them with browns like dried leaves. This also helps attract earthworms. Mix grounds into soil to improve structure and water retention. Avoid piling them thickly around plant bases, which can lead to moisture buildup and root rot.
Around the house
Place dried grounds in a bowl to absorb odors in the fridge, freezer, or a gym bag. Use their coarse texture as a natural scrub for tough cleaning jobs. After chopping onions or garlic, rub grounds on your hands to help neutralize the smell.
Hair and skin benefits
Coffee grounds aren’t just useful for plants. They can also help keep hair and skin healthy. Many people use leftover grounds as an exfoliant in the shower, especially on feet and elbows. Regine Guion-Firmin, founder of Karibu Kahawa Camps in Kenya and an SCA authorized trainer, makes her own coffee oil and coffee soap at home in Nairobi.
She explains that her Coffee Infused Coconut Oil is helpful for natural afro hair, and that using coffee oil on dry skin can support blood circulation beneath the surface. To make it, she mixes organic coconut oil, organic roasted and ground coffee, and organic pomelo in a glass jar. Shake it daily and let it sit for one to two weeks, then strain it and use it on your hair or skin. If pomelo isn’t available, you can experiment with other citrus fruits.
Her homemade coffee soap blends the Coffee Infused Coconut Oil with olive oil, macadamia oil, sunflower oil, leftover grounds, water, and caustic soda. It requires some added materials like soap plates, but you can follow her full recipe if you want to try making your own.
Crafts
If you have kids at home, leftover grounds make an easy brown dye. You can stain paper for a vintage look or tint Easter eggs. For a more detailed project, try making coffee clay or even coffee candles, though you will need added supplies to complete them.
Even if you brew for only one person, reusing your grounds can make a meaningful difference. Beyond composting, they can offer many benefits in daily life.
Important tips
Dry out coffee grounds before using them as a deodorizer or scrub to prevent mold. Use them sparingly in the garden so they do not compact and block air or water. Keep grounds away from pets, as they can be toxic to dogs. When using them as a scrub, rinsing the grounds first can help remove sugar residue.
