8 Clever Ways To Reuse Leftover Coffee Grounds

If you love coffee, you're not alone. We may not know who really drank the first cup of coffee, but today it's a crucial part of many of our lives. According to a report from Balance Coffee, 1 billion people around the world drink coffee every day. This means there may also be a lot of people wondering what to do with their leftover coffee grounds. 

Unfortunately, you can't make another pot of coffee with your used coffee grounds — or at least, you shouldn't, since it will turn out bitter and watery-tasting. You also shouldn't just dump your old coffee grounds in your sink, since they can eventually build up and block your pipes. Of course, you can just throw your used coffee grounds in the trash, but it's best to avoid doing this if you can, since waste management experts warn that the huge amount of coffee grounds thrown out each year can contribute to the buildup of methane gas in landfills.

Fortunately, there are lots of ways to reuse old coffee grounds, from removing odors to helping your garden, to elevating some of your favorite foods and treats. Here are eight ways to reuse old coffee grounds that are nearly as satisfying as a hot cup of Joe.

Coffee grounds' grainy texture can be annoying when it comes to picking them up and throwing them out. But that roughness can be great for your skin. You can use old coffee grounds as a star ingredient in a homemade exfoliating body or face scrub. There are many ways to make a coffee ground body scrub, but the most common is to add the coffee grounds and an equal amount of brown or granulated sugar, to coconut oil or any other oil that's good for the skin (such as olive oil or grapeseed oil). Most recipes also suggest adding vanilla extract to give your scrub a more pleasant smell.

Once the ingredients are mixed together, you can gently scrub the mixture onto your body or face (being careful not to get it in your eyes) and then rinse it off. In addition to exfoliating and moisturizing your skin, your DIY body scrub may have another benefit. Some experts say that the caffeine in the coffee grounds can help reduce the appearance of cellulite, as well. Whether or not this is true, a coffee ground body scrub is a natural, healthy way to take care of your skin and get rid of those pesky leftover grounds that would have otherwise been destined for the trash.

For many of us, coffee is an amazing, energy-bestowing brew. But it turns out that our favorite beverage also has some other magical qualities. New or used coffee grounds are a great way to get rid of bad odors. This is because the nitrogen and carbon that are naturally found in coffee grounds neutralize stinky smells. Whether you use beans, fresh coffee grounds, or used grounds, there are countless ways you can kill odors with coffee. For instance, you could put a bowl of used coffee grounds in your refrigerator to absorb bad food smells. 

Coffee grounds can also help fight stinky smells in your car. Fans of the method suggest leaving coffee grounds in an open container like a can or bag in your car overnight, keeping the doors and windows shut to rid your car of unwanted smells. 

Coffee grounds' deodorizing properties can also help get rid of bad smells on your skin. A popular used coffee ground hack you'll come across is to rub some coffee grounds on your hands after you've finished cutting strong-smelling foods like garlic or onions. Lifestyle journalist Amy E. Goodman even suggests keeping a bowl of wet coffee grounds near your sink for just this reason. 

You can use coffee grounds to get rid of lingering body odor smells, too. Let your used coffee grounds dry out and then put them in a porous cloth container (pantyhose are a common choice) and use them to neutralize stinky smells in places like your gym bag or even your shoes. You can also put sachets of dried leftover coffee grounds in your drawers or closet to get rid of any musty odors and keep your clothes smelling fresh.

If you have a garden, you may have heard that you should put coffee grounds in the soil. Unfortunately, a recent study from Oregon State University found that many of the benefits of putting coffee grounds in your garden, including adding nutrition to the soil, aren't necessarily true. But there are some advantages that the study did confirm. Most notably, adding coffee grounds to the dirt in your garden can improve the structure of the soil and help with drainage. Coffee grounds also attract worms. While many of us might find worms kind of gross, they're a blessing for people who love to garden. Among other things, they oxygenate and repair soil. 

Whether you're improving your garden's soil or attracting worms, you shouldn't overdo it. Adding too many coffee grounds to your garden can have harmful results, like slowing plant growth. And gardening website Stutzmans warns that if you smell ammonia or vinegar-like odors, this is a sign the worms in your garden are suffering from consuming too many coffee grounds. Speaking of animals, pet owners should be aware that coffee grounds are dangerous for dogs. So before scattering or burying coffee grounds in your garden, consider where you need them and do some research to find out the right quantity to add for the best results. For instance, Oregon State University's study found that to improve the quality of your soil, half an inch of coffee grounds should be used, buried about four inches into the dirt.

If you wish your house could smell like delicious coffee even when you're not brewing a pot, we've got good news: Those same coffee grounds that gave you your morning cup of Joe can find new life as a scented candle. Candle making can be tricky, but it's an interesting hobby that comes with a wonderful-smelling reward. You'll find instructions on how to make a candle with leftover coffee grounds on countless websites. Most of these sources add a fun common feature: using an old coffee mug as the container for your candle.

Another common piece of advice is to use store-bought wax, but if upcycling is your jam, we totally get it, and you'll be happy to know that in addition to the used coffee grounds and mug, a few sources, like Eldorado Coffee Roasters blog, say that you can use wax from old, nearly finished candles, to form your new coffee-scented candle. However you go about it, making a coffee-scented candle is a great way to use your old coffee grounds, get creative, and even come up with an inexpensive and unique gift for the fellow coffee lovers in your life.

Instead of adding coffee grounds directly to your garden, many experts say it's better to use them in your compost. Compost is a mulch made up of decayed organic elements like old food — and that can include old coffee grounds. In fact, coffee grounds make an excellent addition to compost, since the nitrogen in the grounds will help the other elements of your compost break down more easily.  If you've stored your moist coffee grounds for a while and they've started to grow mold, that's even better, since the mold will also help in the composting process. 

Despite the advantages of using coffee grounds in compost, Oregon State University's study warns that, as with putting them in your garden soil, there can be too much of a good thing. The study found that the amount of coffee grounds in your compost shouldn't be more than 20%, or else it could kill your plants.

You shouldn't make a new pot of coffee with coffee grounds you've already used, but you can brew them again for dyeing clothes. You'll find several step-by-step guides for doing this online, but essentially, it involves washing a piece of clothing that's ideally made of a natural fabric like cotton or linen, which can be used with natural dyes. After its wash, while it's still wet, let it soak in a soup pot full of hot coffee. After a long soak, rinse out the clothing with cold water and let it dry. 

There are some things to keep in mind when it comes to dyeing clothes with coffee, though. For one thing, the color you'll get won't be very dark. One Quora user explains that it's best to think of this kind of dye as a tint, rather than a rich color in its own right. The users says that this technique is often used by costume designers to give a sepia tint that will make clothes look older. So think of dyeing with coffee as a way to enhance or slightly alter the color of your clothes, not completely change them. Another thing to remember is that coffee dye will fade or even completely disappear after a while. To make it last as long as possible, wash your coffee-dyed clothes in cold water with gentle detergent. The Driftaway Coffee blog warns that the coffee will come off in the wash, so be careful not to put your dyed clothes in the same load as anything they might stain.

Although they won't make a good second cup of coffee, used coffee grounds can still be enjoyed during a meal or snack. You'll find countless recipes — mostly sweet, but a few savory, as well — that include used coffee grounds. When it comes to baking, while you can make lots of coffee-flavored treats with used coffee grounds, they're also an ingredient that can enhance other flavors, like chocolate.   In fact, the two make for such a good combination that you may even want to add cocoa powder to your coffee. Among the baked goods that can include coffee grounds are cookies (including the ones Cookie Monster eats), cakes, and muffins. You can even add your used coffee grounds to ice cream  or granola.
If you're not a fan of sweet treats, don't throw away your used coffee grounds just yet, they can also be used in savory recipes. For instance, you'll find lots of recipes for meat rubs that include coffee grounds. 

Although there are some typical coffee ground recipe ideas, many chefs have gotten even more creative. For instance, the website Wicked Healthy has a recipe for carrots coated in a spicy, flavorful rub made with coffee grounds and chili peppers. So, when it comes to using your old coffee grounds in recipes, go with a classic or have fun and see what delicious flavor combinations you come up with.