Eco/Natural

How to recycle coffee grounds: expert guide

recycle coffee grounds

What are the best ways to recycle coffee grounds? Our guide gives you some clever ways to reuse the grounds, and a couple of fun ideas as well.

Find more sustainability guides, tips and advice
How to descale a coffee machine

Throw the coffee grounds directly into the waste after brewing. Don’t! The brown powder can still be used sensibly. Here are 11 clever ideas to recycle coffee grounds.

Many people love it and have a hard time without it. In the course of their life, a person drinks more than 70,000 cups of coffee. According to a study, as many as 76 percent of all people describe themselves as regular coffee drinkers. Not only do they leave behind mountains of dirty dishes, but also tons of coffee grounds. The brown powder is usually disposed of thoughtlessly. Coffee grounds can be used in many ways. The following tips should not only be of interest to coffee drinkers.

Coffee grounds are usually considered to be waste and therefore belong in the trash. But this is not the case, as even scientists have proven. They took a closer look at the coffee grounds and found amazing things. In addition to caffeine, coffee grounds also contain valuable antioxidants.

The scientists not only checked the presence of chlorogenic acids, melanoidins and other antioxidants, but also their effects on the body. It was found that the coffee made from Arabica has the greatest health benefits, but coffee coffee made from Robusta coffee beans can also be used as a radical scavenger.

Coffee recycling has a long history

The fact that coffee grounds can be used in many ways is not an invention of our time. Already in the 19th century, people used the brown powder to clean pots and dishes, to dispel bad smells or to bring matt wooden floors back into shape. Many possible ways to recycle coffee grounds have been forgotten over time, and the effect of coffee grounds as a cleaning agent, cosmetic product or plant food should not be underestimated.

11 ways to recycle coffee grounds

❖ 1. Skin treatment

Many cosmetic products are caffeinated for a reason. Caffeine is able to widen blood vessels and improve blood circulation. An effective peel against orange peel can be made from coffee grounds and a few splashes of olive oil. Mix the ingredients into a pulpy mass and massage it into the skin. Dead skin cells are reliably removed by the peeling effect. As a positive side effect, toxins are also transported out of the cells.

Coffee grounds not only have a cleaning and nourishing effect, but can also dispel bad smells. You can take advantage of this by making a coffee soap.

To do this, use the following ingredients to make a “soap paste”, i.e. a sticky mass:

  • 400 grams of olive oil
  • 200 grams of rapeseed oil
  • 200 grams of almond oil
  • 200 grams of coconut fat
  • 140 grams of sodium hydroxide
  • five tablespoons of coffee grounds
  • 350 milliliters of water

All ingredients are mixed for a few minutes until a firm mass forms. Then fill the mass into sealable containers and let the whole thing rest for at least one day. Then the soap should have a firm consistency and can be cut into pieces. After a ripening period of around four weeks, the coffee grounds soap can be used.

❖ 2. For beautiful hair

You have surely noticed that coffee grounds are often in hair care products on the list of ingredients. Therefore, there is no reason not to mix in some coffee grounds with your favorite shampoo. The brown powder can also be used as a conditioner. For this, the hair is washed as usual and then the coffee grounds are massaged into the hair. Leave it on for a few minutes and then rinse the hair thoroughly. The result is powerful and shiny hair.

»Tip: If you have dark hair, you can give your hair a warm and intense shade of brown by rinsing it with coffee grounds.

❖ 3. Remove scratches on furniture

Old wooden furniture becomes dull and unsightly over time. Scratches in the wood are particularly annoying. The piece of furniture therefore does not have to be sanded, if coffee grounds are slightly moistened and rubbed into the scratch, this can be reliably cheated away. The coffee grounds penetrate the groove and the oil contained in them acts as a seal. The result – the scratch is gone.

❖ 4. Coffee grounds to remove smells

Everyone knows the intense aroma of coffee grounds. Although the brown powder itself has a strong smell, it can also absorb foreign smells. Who does not know the unpleasant smell of the hands after cutting garlic or onions. Simply deposit some coffee grounds in a small container in the kitchen and rub your hands with the brown powder after handling odor-intensive foods. The unpleasant smell will go away.»Tip: Coffee grounds can also help against sweaty feet. The powder is simply sprinkled into the smelly shoes overnight.

You can also use ground coffee if the fridge smells. The powder is placed in a small bowl and placed in the refrigerator, unpleasant smells are neutralized.

❖ 5. Coffee grounds as scouring powder

It is often a real feat to remove stubborn dirt from pots and pans. Simply exchange your aggressive scouring milk for coffee grounds. Even intense dirt disappears when the cookware is rubbed with coffee grounds. Deposits in bottles or vases can also be removed. The coffee grounds are placed in the jar and mixed with hot water. Shake the mixture and let the whole thing take effect overnight.

❖ 6. Coffee grounds to deter garden pests

Not everybody likes the smells of coffee grounds. Snails, in particular, quickly go far when you put a ring of coffee grounds around the endangered plants. Ants can no longer orient themselves as usual when they encounter the smell of coffee and disappear from your garden.

Coffee grounds can also help against wasps. However, the whole thing is a bit more complex. The brown powder is not simply sprinkled here, but placed in a small fireproof container and lit. The wasps are driven out by the developing smoke. Incidentally, the smoke in no way disturbs people. Many people even find it pleasant.

❖ 7. Coffee grounds as plant fertilizer

As we have already outlined, coffee grounds are full of nutrients, which of course also benefit our plants as a great way to recycle coffee grounds in the garden and houseplants. Coffee grounds contain phosphorus, potassium and above all nitrogen. Coffee grounds are a welcome tonic and tonic especially for plants that feel good in a slightly acidic environment (pH around 6.5). Not only can you use it to fertilize flowering plants, tomatoes, zucchini or cucumbers also like caffeine. Potassium promotes cell growth, phosphorus ensures abundant flowering and nitrogen promotes lush leaf growth.

Warning: caffeine is less suitable as a fertilizer for young plants.

The dried coffee grounds are sprinkled around the plant on the ground about once a week. For houseplants, the coffee grounds are mixed with the potting soil. Start with rather small amounts, as each plant responds differently to nutrient intake.»Tip: Coffee grounds also belong on the compost. Earthworms like the brown powder and will break up the compost all the more intensely.

❖ 8. Coffee grounds as cat deterrent

Neighbors cat is a thorn in your side? Does she use the flower bed or the sandpit as a toilet and the cherry tree as a scratching aid? Then do it similarly as described for the snails. The coffee grounds are strewn where they don’t want to meet Mieze. Thanks to coffee grounds, the four-legged friend will in future make a wide circle around sandpit.

❖ 9. Coffee grounds as a colorant

Coffee grounds have a very good coloring effect. As already described, this can be used to spice up aged, dark wooden furniture. You can also dye fabrics, paper or Easter eggs with coffee grounds. To do this, simply dissolve the coffee grounds in water and immerse the object to be colored there. The exposure time depends on the desired degree of coloring.

❖ 10. Coffee grounds in cup shape

Coffee grounds are particularly abundant in restaurants. Clever entrepreneurs have already launched the Kaffeeform project. Coffee grounds are no longer simply disposed of, but collected. This forms the basis for the production of coffee cups from renewable raw materials. Shipping is already taking place worldwide and the product range has been expanded to include espresso and cappuccino cups as a very inventive way to recycle coffee grounds.

❖ 11. Fortune telling

The history of coffee grounds reading is not new, presumably the interpretation of coffee grounds was derived from the reading of tea leaves common in Asia or comes from the ancient Romans who tried to read wine grounds. Reading coffee grounds is particularly widespread in southern Europe. It can be assumed that the leisure time is fun, which is hardly understood as a serious method today.

Coffee grounds can be read using three methods:

  • Wet coffee grounds are stirred with your finger
  • dried coffee grounds are moved with your fingers
  • wet coffee grounds are placed on a saucer and covered with another saucer, both plates are turned and the coffee grounds are dried

Would you like to try it out? Then here are some suggestions for reading coffee grounds:

symbolmeaning
mountainIf you have a pile of coffee grounds in front of you, you will probably be able to rely on reliable friends.
If the mountain is hidden behind clouds, mean enemies lurk.
fishAnyone who interprets a fish can hope for a pleasant event.
If the fish is clearly recognizable, there is a blessing in the house.
Rather indistinct fish indicate easy problem solving in the future.
heartIf the heart is clearly visible, there is a happy future ahead.
If you see two hearts, you will soon stand in front of the altar.
anchorThose who clearly recognize the anchor can hope for love and loyalty.
Indistinct anchors indicate infidelity.