Maybe you are saving your own used coffee grounds, or you got free used coffee grounds from Starbucks. Here are 8 practical and creative ways you can use used coffee grounds in your garden and at home!
Compost
Add coffee grounds to your compost pile. Used coffee grounds are a nitrogen-rich green material. They help to break down compost and attract worms! One recommended ratio says no more than 20% coffee grounds in your compost pile.
Fertilizer
Use it as a food for your plants! Plants that like coffee grounds: Carrots, Potatoes, Parsley, peppers, Blueberries, Strawberries, Citrus Trees, Succulents, Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Lily of The Valley, and many more! You can also sprinkle it on your lawn.
Repel Insects
Coffee grounds have a strong smell and a lot of bugs don’t like it. They can repel slugs, snails, fruit flies, cockroaches, wasps and mosquitos. Just sprinkle them around or put them around the perimeter.
Homemade Body Scrub
Coffee grounds can be a good exfoliant. They do not dissolve in water and they are an antioxidant. Here is a recipe.
Homemade Soap
Make bar soap. This can be a great gift idea for coffee lovers and a fun craft idea. Here is one recipe and here is another.
Natural Air Freshener
Coffee grounds neutralize odors and add fragrance. Here are a few air freshener recipes: Recipe 1, Recipe 2, and Recipe 3.
Candles
You can use coffee grounds to make homemade candles: Recipe.
Grow Mushrooms
Mushrooms grow really well using coffee grounds. Here is one tutorial.