You might have heard the urban myth that coffee grounds are great for drain pipes as they are abrasive and help to clean the sides of these same pipes but is this actually true?
Well, unfortunately, this is simply not the case.
Coffee grounds can get stuck in the pipes turns or in the U-bend, which means that after some time, once other things have been put down the drain, along with even more coffee grounds, this can cause a blockage.
Not an ideal scenario if you were just looking to get rid of your coffee grounds.
Of course, it’s not the end of the world since you’ll be able to shift this blockage one way or another.
Whether that means getting your hands dirty or paying a professional plumber to come to sort this problem out for you.
This means you’re spending your hard-earned cash on something that could have completely been avoided if you had not listened to this urban myth.
Overall, it sounds like a very expensive cup of coffee.
Although some plumbers disagree.
After doing some extra digging, some plumbers say it’s okay to put your coffee grounds down the drain IF and only if you rinse a lot of water with them; so that the coffee grounds can move smoothly through the pipes.
This sounds like it solves the problem we mentioned before, doesn’t it?
Well, we guess so, although this does mean now you’re wasting water Which could increase your water bill, especially if you’re having one. Two or even upwards of three coffees a day.
Can your coffee grounds go down the sink? No, but here are 5 other ways to dispose of your coffee grounds.
If you can’t flush them, what can you do with your used coffee grounds?
- Put them in the fridge to reduce odor
- Use as an exfoliant on your hands and body
- Create your very own coffee candles
- Make some beautiful coffee soap
- Use them in your compost or elsewhere in your garden
The obvious option here is to just stick them in your rubbish bin, but in the spirit of saving our planet and reducing our own waste, let’s talk about some of the other ways you can reuse your coffee beans that go beyond just dumping them.
1. Put them in the fridge to reduce odor.
What we are suggesting here is that you put your coffee grounds in a little bowl or unused Tupperware box and then place them in your fridge, ideally at the back.
This will help to reduce the odors which your fridge emits due to all the different types of food you may have stored in there over the week.
If this becomes something you find useful, then we would suggest changing these beans as much as you possibly can.
Since eventually, the coffee grounds will wear out, no longer being effective at their job of reducing the odor.
2. Use as an exfoliant
Your used coffee grounds can be used as an exfoliant to also give you that beautiful morning coffee smell all over your body!
Don’t worry about the excess plugging up the pipes; you’re only going to be using a small amount of the coffee grounds on your hands or on your body, so they should be able to be washed away and put through the pipe junctions with no problem.
On your hands: Scrub the grounds into your hands and rinse with water.
On your body: mix with coconut oil and scrub on your body before rinsing the excess with water.
3. Create your own coffee candles
If you love the smell of coffee as much as we do, then creating your very own coffee-scented candles will mean you’ll be able to get this smell all throughout the home without having to buy expensive premium candles.
You’re going to want to melt some wax, mix in the used coffee grounds, and then pour them into a paper cup with a candlewick in the middle. Let it set, and voila!
You have yourself your very own homemade coffee candle.
4. Homemade coffee ground soap
If candles aren’t really your thing, you could instead make your very own coffee soap out of the leftover grounds, this will not only make your body smell good, but your body can also absorb the caffeine, which comes with many health benefits.
5. Use them In your compost
Coffee beans can go into your compost pile instead of your rubbish bin as they provide nitrogen to your pile, a much-needed micronutrient essential to the success of decomposition.
Coffee grounds add organic material to the soil, which helps to improve its drainage, water retention, and aeration.
If you don’t want to add them to your compost pile, you can instead put them close to the pile or perhaps around your favorite plants as coffee beans act as a natural detergent to pesky slugs, which I absolutely love destroying your beautiful flowers and plants.
Note: We’d recommend doing a little bit more research on how coffee grounds can affect your garden as, in some cases, the coffee grounds will be far too acidic for the soil you may have, which could negatively impact all of the plants and flowers which are trying to use this soil to flourish
Summary
So. we’ve learned that coffee grounds can not be washed down your sink unless you use lots of water with them, which could increase your water bill to unnecessary levels.
Although this whole thing can be avoided whilst doing your bit for the planet if you were to use the coffee grounds in one of the few ways we mentioned; which could also save you some money:
