5 Unusual Ways To Use Coffee In Your House

We all love coffee for its aroma, flavour and definitely its pick me up. If you love to make your coffee at home either with a coffee roaster or coffee machine and always find yourself filling your dustbin with coffee grounds, why not recycle them?

There are numerous ways to use both fresh and used coffee grounds and here are five unusual ways to use coffee in the house:

1) Eliminate odours

Hate the smell of your hands after chopping garlic and onions? Add some coffee grounds to a bowl and add in a small amount of Castile soap. Scoop out a small amount of this mixture and rub your hands with it. You can also deodorise your fridge naturally by placing a small plate with coffee grounds.

Leave this jar in the fridge for a few days to get rid of all odours. Use your flavoured coffee grounds in a shallow container anywhere in a room to impart a fun smell.

2) Pin cushion filler

Dried and used coffee grounds make the perfect filler for DIY pin cushions. Just wrap up the coffee grounds in a scrap cloth, tie the end off with a rubber band and place it in a small container or egg cup. The grounds keep the pins from rusting too.

3) Clean dishes

Coffee generally has a rough texture; whether organic coffee or not. For this reason, coffee works great as an abrasive, meaning that you can use it to clean any tough to clean dishes. Place some grounds onto the cleaning rag and twist both ends with a band to secure them into place. This makes an excellent DIY cleaning coffee sponge.

4) Clean surfaces

Mildly acidic and abrasive coffee grounds are a great way for scrubbing surfaces like cooking ranges, counter tops and refrigerators. You can use them alone or add a little dish soap. If your furniture has scratches, mix two to three teaspoons of instant coffee and a little water to make a paste. Use this mixture to wipe the furniture and concentrate especially on the scratches. You can add a little olive oil or a spoon of vinegar to add shine to your wood.

5) Insect repellent

Coffee has a strong odour, which many animals and insects do not like. Ants, slugs, maggots and mosquitoes all dislike coffee’s acidity and will keep away from areas with coffee. Rub some used and damp coffee grounds through your pet’s fur to repel fleas after cleaning. It also improves the post-bath, wet-animal smell that gets all over the furniture.

So the next time you brew the perfect plunger coffee, be sure to enjoy both the benefits of caffeine and also try these unusual coffee uses.

Do you have any other uses for coffee? Please SHARE in the comments below.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.com

60 Comments

- - Gracey said
  - 28 Jun 2021
    8:22 pm
It’s also great as a body scrub!

- - Mrs.twinmama said
  - 28 Jun 2021
    8:15 pm
Really great and interesting tips to do. Awesome.

- - BellaB said
  - 28 Jun 2021
    6:49 pm
Re the pin cushion filler: wouldn’t the coffee grounds eventually rot?

- - Zmijka86 said
  - 28 Jun 2021
    12:09 pm
I started to put our on the grass and looks like it helps growing.
- mom160421 replied
  
  28 Jun 2021 , 7:46 pm
  My friend noticed that the area she throws her coffee grinds onto is growing better than the rest of the lawn.
- - mom81879 said
  - 27 Nov 2019
    1:12 pm
I have heard of the bug repellent thing, meant to keep slugs and snails out of your veggie patch. I’ve also heard if you place coffee grounds a blue hydrangea, it will produce a deeper, bluer colour

- - Melissa89 said
  - 29 Jul 2016
    10:58 am
Thats fascinating. I hadn’t heard of any of these before

- - serotonin said
  - 26 Feb 2016
    4:51 pm
I never knew coffee had such wonderful uses! I suppose I’ll buy the cheapest stuff I can for things other than drinking though.

- - Naomi said
  - 24 Feb 2016
    10:36 pm
I’m willing to try the pin cushion but I’m wondering if it would rot?

- - mom160421 said
  - 18 Feb 2016
    6:55 pm
I’ve heard that coffee grounds in the garden will deter slugs and snails.

- - Nas01 said
  - 14 Feb 2016
    10:04 am
Wow, I never knew coffee was so versitile.

- - welshmummy said
  - 06 Feb 2016
    8:09 pm
Excellent article. Never knew that coffee grains are so versatile.

- - june11 said
  - 29 Jan 2016
    3:27 pm
Maybe people should put it near their doors where there is stray cats.
I know that some people save tea leaves and use them in their gardens. Unfortunately I can’t remember which flowering bush they were used for.

- - mom71337 said
  - 27 Jan 2016
    10:52 pm
Awesome tips, thanks will try some with my next brew.

- - mom67623 said
  - 26 Jan 2016
    2:59 am
Gratideaas wanted to know, as a flrea repellent and personal repellant to mossies too, I know I now certainly will do been putting them in my pot plants too,as thought they would be useful there too.not mentioned but might be wrong. Butfor sure mossies around me bite and throng

- - mom165081 said
  - 26 Jan 2016
    2:14 am
All of these ideas are so much better than putting coffee grounds into the bin. Thanks for bringing these tips to MoM’s

- - Mummytoabeautifulprincess said
  - 25 Jan 2016
    4:17 pm
Would not have thought of using coffee in these ways. We’re not coffee drinkers but I think i’ll be trying out the tip for ants! Our house is full of about 4 different size ants right now. They’re EVERYWHERE! and they BITE 🙁 Little buggers!

- - ella12 said
  - 25 Jan 2016
    4:07 pm
I use it as an exfoliating scrub.

- - rovermum said
  - 25 Jan 2016
    1:05 pm
All interesting, and I’ve never heard of them before. Love the idea for ants. Love my coffee too!

- - tessie said
  - 24 Jan 2016
    11:18 am
What a great way to recycle and make the house smell like coffee. I love it

- - annioakly said
  - 24 Jan 2016
    10:45 am
Brilliant tips. Especially for ants, have a huge problem. Cant wait to try. Cheers