Coffee grounds or beans aren’t just for your morning cup. Surprisingly, the leftover from your coffee mug has a myriad of uses that will help you complete tasks in your house as well as in the garden.
Here are some of the surprising uses of coffee grounds, according to Reader’s Digest.
1. Clean your car.
Coffee grounds, when placed inside your car, will absorb any strong odor. Simply put an open container filled with freshly ground coffee bean in the area in your car where it won’t get knocked over.
2. Speed up composting.
You can help compost break down faster by pouring coffee on your soil. Aside from speeding up the composting process, it will also increase the bacterium population.
3. Fertilize your plants.
Coffee grounds provide acidity, aeration, nitrogen, phosphorous and other trace minerals to plants such as rosebushes and azaleas. To fertilize your plant, dig about 3/4 cups of the coffee grounds into the soil near the roots to prevent them from becoming moldy. Repeat this once a month.
4. Eliminate pet odors.
Pet owners may heat a cupful of freshly ground coffee beans in a cast-iron skilled over low heat to get rid of unpleasant pet odors from a room.
5. Clean your face.
Exfoliate your skin by rubbing the moist grounds gently on your face. This will help you remove dead skin gently.
6. Get glossier hair.
Apply “extra strong” coffee to your clean and dry hair for 20 minutes then rinse to achieve shinier hair. For best results, do this routine for 7 days.
7. Get rid of under-eye puffiness.
Aside from tea bags, coffee is known to remove puffiness from under your eyes. Just mix coffee grounds with water and turn it into a paste. Smear it on the affected area and allow it to stay for 15 minutes.
8. Add flavor to your meat.
Aside from adding savoury-sweet flavor to your meat, coffee grounds act as meat tenderizer because they form a crust that locks in all the moisture of the meat as they caramelize.
9. Fix furniture.
An instant coffee can serve as a furniture wax and be used to fill the gouge, nick or crack of your furniture. Create a thick paste by mixing 2 to 3 tablespoons with enough water and put it on a disposable plastic knife to fill the crack. Add a few drops of iodine for wood with red tones.
10. Make your own candle.
Check out this simple and easy method from PopSugar.com to make your own coffee candle.