10 Little-Known Ways To Repurpose Used Coffee Grounds

Coffee is the most popular beverage in the entire world. In fact, it is believed that more than 400 billion cups are consumed worldwide each year. It has also been estimated that a staggering 450 million cups of coffee are consumed every day in the United States alone.

The thing is, though, considering how much of the hot drink people brew every day, it's a shame that many people simply throw such large amounts of leftover coffee grounds that could have been used for many other things.

I'm not kidding - coffee grounds have plenty of practical uses that have been overlooked for far too long!

1. Darken your locks

It's pretty simple - just dampen your hair and massage the coffee grounds into your locks. If you rinse your hair using apple vinegar, the darker shade should last longer. N.B. you may need to repeat the process a couple of times in order to achieve the best result possible.

2. Fight grease on your pots and pans

Credit: Boredom Therapy

Coffee grounds are great for scrubbing away the burnt bits and food residue off your pots and pans. Their abrasive texture works as a great alternative to chemical-based cleaning products.

3. Use as a compost additive

Credit: The Spruce

If you care about the plants in your garden at all, then use your leftover coffee grounds as a compost additive - they're a great fertiliser for your plants as they improve water retention and soil aeration.

4. Homemade coffee scrub

Credit: WooHoo

For a deep cleanse of your skin, give yourself a good scrub in the shower using coffee grounds. They'll help remove dead skin cells, leaving your skin with a smooth, silky feel.

5. Do away with those wood scratches

Credit: Yankee Magazine

Your wooden items will look as good as new if you get rid of any scratches using coffee grounds. It's simple - dip a Q-tip in the coffee grounds and use it to cover the scratches. Then leave it for about 10 minutes before finally wiping away any excess.

6. Get rid of that bad smell in the fridge 

Credit: www.homethings.com

Just place an open container of coffee grounds in your fridge and it should cover up any bad odours.

7. Ensure healthy carrot growth

Credit: Instructables

Very few people know that mixing coffee grounds with carrot seeds will promote a healthier, faster growth of the vegetable.

8. Use as fertiliser

Credit: GrowVeg

Coffee grounds are perfect fertilisers as they attract worms which in turn increases the amount of air and water that is absorbed into the soil.

9. Freshen up your garburator

Credit: One Good Thing By Jillee

Get rid of the smell in your garburator by sprinkling some used coffee grounds down the sink. Just like bad odours in the fridge, coffee grounds can help cover up the foul smells down your sink.

10. Keep pests away

Credit: Redeem Your Ground

Pests are known to be wary of the smell of coffee and so sprinkling coffee grounds in the soil might just deter them. So if you want to keep those pesky slugs from eating your plants, coffee grounds might just be your best bet.

11. DIY Coffee Candles

Credit: YouTube/MOD

Why go out and buy candles when you can make your own for free? Find out how from this tutorial.

12. Rid yourself of odours on your skin

Credit: hometalk.com

No one likes the smell of onion lingering on their skin, but the truth is it can be done away with a simple scrub using coffee grounds.