Coffee is a big part of my morning routine. Brewing a fresh pot of coffee is one of the first things I do when I wake up. I enjoy the coffee, but I don't enjoy having all of those leftover coffee grounds. It seems like a waste to me just to throw them in the trash every morning. So I've found other ways to reuse the grounds around my house before I toss them out. By repurposing them, I've given a second life to a household product, and saved some money since they're great for cleaning and other chores.
Here are the most common ways I reuse coffee grounds
As a Countertop Scrub
I try not to use chemical cleaners in my house, so I'm left with a dilemma anytime food gets stuck on my kitchen counters. Organic household cleaners are great, but they don't work on tough stains. Oddly enough, coffee grounds do. I simply spread a tablespoon of wet coffee grounds over the stuck on food and wipe the mess away with a sponge. The grounds pull up the food, leaving the counter clean.
As an Air Deodorizer
I've found that coffee grounds absorb odors similar to the way baking soda does. After making coffee, I dry the grounds out on a paper towel for two to three hours. When they're dry, I place the grounds in cheesecloth and tie the top. I use the balls in my refrigerator, pantry and around my trashcan to keep strong odors - like onion and garlic - at bay.
To Clean the Fireplace
I avoided using my fireplace through an entire winter season because I didn't want to deal with the cleanup, but I've since learned that coffee grounds make cleaning a fireplace easier. When I sprinkle a cup of wet coffee grounds over the ashes, the grounds wet the ashes enough to stop dust clouds from rising when I scoop them up. No smoky smell in my face and the cleaning goes a lot faster.
Keep Bugs Away
My grandmother sprinkles dry coffee grounds along her doorways and windowsills. I never understood why until I got an ant infestation last summer. The ants are repelled by the coffee grounds. Once I laid them down along my doorways, the ants stopped coming in and I had a bug free house without having to use chemical-heavy commercial bug sprays around my food and utensils.
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