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What To Do With Old Coffee Beans – Uses For Coffee Beans Explained

Often, it can feel like such a waste to just throw out old coffee grounds. Other times, you’ll discover that an opened bag of beans or grounds has gone stale because it wasn’t transferred to an airtight container. There defintely is no need to throw away the coffee, though simply. There are many uses for stale or used coffee around your home.

You defintely have heard of some of the uses for old coffee beans or grounds; however, most of the uses on this list are not well-known. In addition to the use of the coffee, the following list also includes basic instructions to use the beans or grounds.

uses for stale coffee grounds

10 Smart Ways To Use Old Coffee Beans

  1. Fertilizer
  2. Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans
  3. Compost
  4. Insect Repellent
  5. Odor Control
  6. Dishes
  7. Cellulite
  8. Fantastic Hair
  9. Tenderizer And Marinade
  10. Under-Eye Circles

Fertilizer

Coffee is high in nitrogen and is great for use in garden soil to help fertilize your favorite plants. Roses, camellias, and hydrangeas absolutely love growing in the high nitrogen content that coffee brings to the soil. In addition, fruiting plants such as blueberries and cranberries also grow extremely well in soil that has coffee added to it. Also, with coffee being a natural pest deterrent, it will repel insects and pests like aphids and slugs.

Simply take your old, used coffee grounds, and mix them in with your potting soil. Or. for plants that are already planted, turn some of the soil around the plant roots while mixing in some of the coffee grounds around the soil at the root system. For beans that have gone stale, grind them up. Then blend the grounds in with the soil the same way you would with the used coffee grounds.

old coffee grounds uses

Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans

Suppose you’ve ever eyeballed the expensive treats in a specialty or grocery store and thought, “Nah. I can’t afford those”, well, you’re in luck. You can make your own chocolate-covered espresso beans at home for a fraction of the cost. Simply melt your chocolate over a low heat Mix in your stale espresso beans. Spoon them back out of the chocolate onto parchment paper. Wait for them to cool, then feel free to remove them from the parchment paper. This one of the things to do with coffee beans that we love and one of our favorite old coffee grounds uses.

These are the absolute tastiest way to enjoy stale coffee beans.

what to do with whole coffee beans

Compost

Coffee will help to break down your compost material. When you add that compost material to your soil, the coffee will help to make the soil rich and also an insect repellent. Coffee grounds are able too add organic material to your soil, improving its water retention, aeration, and drainage. It will also encourage microorganisms beneficial to plant growth to thrive in your garden soil.

compost

Coffee loaded compost will deter ants, cats, and slugs by serving as a barrier for your garden. Balance it in your compost pile by adding brown compost material like leaves or shredded paper. Also, coffee filters will easily break down, so throw your used coffee filters in with your compost as well. Just be mindful not to have more than 25% of your volume in the compost pile being coffee.

Also, slugs don’t like coffee, but apparently, worms love it. Feel free to throw coffee grounds into your worm bin. The coffee, in combination with the worms, is going to deliver high levels of nitrogen to your soil, and will really encourage your plant growth. Simply toss the used coffee grounds in with your compost, and the acidic grounds will start to break the material down. Then, add your compost to your soil as you normally do.

Coffee is high in nitrogen and is great for use in garden soil to help fertilize your favorite plants. Roses, camellias, and hydrangeas absolutely love growing in the high nitrogen content that coffee brings to the soil. In addition, fruiting plants such as blueberries and cranberries also grow extremely well in soil that has coffee added to it. Also, with coffee being a natural pest deterrent, it will repel insects and pests like aphids and slugs.

Simply take your old, used coffee grounds, and mix them in with your potting soil. Or, for plants that are already planted, turn some of the soil around the plant roots while mixing in some of the coffee grounds around the soil at the root system. For beans that have gone stale, grind them up. Then blend the grounds in with the soil the same way you would with the used coffee grounds. If your wondering what to do with old coffee grounds, compost is great.

uses for expired coffee grounds

Insect Repellent

Coffee naturally repels insects of all types. It can be used in many different fashions, both indoors and outdoors, to help repel insects. You can sprinkle grounds, used or stale, around your yard for help in controlling mosquitoes, slugs, and fleas. It is believed by many that the smell of coffee is what repels snails, slugs, and ants.

It is also commonly believed that the smell of coffee repels mammals like cats, rabbits, and deer from gardens. Also, you can burn coffee grounds to repel mosquitoes. Because of the smoldering that happens when you burn coffee grounds, it is highly effective against mosquitoes. You can use a pie tin to burn coffee grounds and keep your yard mosquito-free.

Add some used coffee grounds to your dog shampoo to help naturally rid your dog of fleas. Fleas are also not fond of coffee grounds in your yard, so sprinkling them around can lessen the chance that your pet will pick up fleas from going out into your yard. Placing coffee grounds in containers around your help will also help to keep cockroaches out of your home.

Odor Control

Coffee is a very strong smell, as anyone who has ever brewed a pot of coffee can attest to it. That very same overpowering aroma can also help to control odors around your home. It even smells like garlic and onion don’t stand a chance against coffee

. It has actually been shown in a scientific study that leftover coffee grounds can actually sop up hydrogen sulfide from the air. This is otherwise known as the nasty sewer gas. Due to the nitrogen in the coffee super powering the air-cleansing ability of coffee, it is able to overpower the stinky, and sometimes deadly, disgusting gas.

Simply stash a container of coffee grounds in your fridge to control odors from food. Or, place a Ziploc bag of dry coffee grounds in your car if someone has smoked in it to rid your vehicle of smelling like an ashtray. You can place little containers of coffee grounds around your house to control odors. If you have musty odors under your sink, you can place a bowl of coffee grounds there to control the musty smell.

what to do with expired coffee

Dishes

Dishes that have burnt on dried foods on them can be washed with coffee grounds. Yes, that’s right, washed with coffee grounds. Place damp grounds directly onto the dirty dish, then use your sponge or cloth to scrub the dirty dish with the coffee grounds.

It will break up the food that is on the dish, and the grounds will serve like sandpaper to completely scrub the mess off of the dish. It is a great alternative to soaking your dishes in harsh chemicals or bleach to remove old or baked-on food from them. The coffee is a fantastic alternative to wasting resources by soaking your dishes multiple times prior to washing them.

You may need to apply coffee grounds to the dish a couple of times and scrub them in order to get all of the burnt or dried on foods loosened enough to come off of the dish, but it will free the majority of those burnt on or dried on foods from any type of dish- glass, porcelain, plastic, or metal.

Just be sure not to use it in nonstick cookware items, because the coffee grounds are quite abrasive, and they will scratch the nonstick coating from your pans. However, regular metal pans that are not nonstick coated are fine to wash with coffee grounds to remove burnt-on food or dried-on food.

All you need to do is put the coffee grounds directly onto the dish that has food stuck on it. Scrub the dish with a sponge or rag. Then just wash with your regular dish detergent and rinse.

Cellulite

Coffee grounds reduce the appearance of cellulite. The caffeine in the coffee stimulates dilation of your blood vessels, so by rubbing the coffee grounds on your skin, you stimulate circulation in that area. Cellulite appears as dimples in the skin. It is caused by the fatty tissues under the skin pressing against the tissue at the skin’s surface. It tends to be most prevalent around the buttocks and thighs.

Skin will start to tighten from the stimulating effects of the caffeine in coffee. It improves the blood flow in the area and eliminates excess water. Because coffee also promotes a healthier overall skin appearance due to the phenols, plant-based chemicals that ward off free radicals in the body, coffee scrubs will give a healthier look to any area you apply it to on your body.

The natural exfoliating effects of the coffee grounds will help to remove dead skin cells, which give a smooth and even look to your skin. The overall effect is a minimization of the visibility of cellulite. Also, the massaging method used to apply the coffee assists with lymphatic drainage and stretches the skin tissue to help minimize the appearance of cellulite.

You can mix used or new coffee grounds with coconut oil to make it easier to spread. Then spread them directly onto the area you want to reduce the appearance of cellulite, then wash them off with gentle soap and water.

The natural exfoliating effects of the coffee grounds will help to remove dead skin cells, which give a smooth and even look to your skin. The overall effect is a minimization of the visibility of skin imperfections and cellulite. Also, the massaging method used to apply the coffee assists with lymphatic drainage and stretches the skin tissue to help minimize the appearance of skin imperfections, scarring, and cellulite.

You can mix used or new coffee grounds with coconut oil to make it easier to spread. Then spread them directly onto the area you want to reduce the appearance of skin imperfections, scarring, or cellulite, then wash them off with gentle soap and water.

Using coffee scrubs can help your skin to look fresher, and it also is a great exfoliator that will rid your body of old skin cells that can make your skin appear dull or look older than you truly are. Using coffee scrubs is a fantastic natural remedy to using harsh chemicals on your skin. It is also much cheaper than the expensive scrubs and exfoliators that are on the market.

uses for old coffee

Fantastic Hair

Coffee can not only prevent hair loss, but it can also stimulate new hair growth, and also be used to wash away build up in your hair from the use of commercial products. In addition, the caffeine in the coffee can lead to better texture and appearance of your hair. By applying ground coffee grounds that have been crushed to powder on your hair, it prevents hair loss, stimulates your hair follicles, and it triggers stronger hair growth.

The caffeine in coffee also blocks DHT, which induces baldness. Coffee improves scalp circulation, and can also be used to exfoliate your scalp. It adds shine to your hair, and will also make your hair look and feel much silkier. You can even use your old coffee grounds to make hair dye. Just brew your old grounds as you would fresh grounds, then pour it over your hair after it has cooled.

You can make a fantastic hair mask with your old coffee grounds. Mix your coffee grounds with honey and olive oil. Then apply it to your hair. Leave the hair paste on for one hour, then wash and condition your hair as you normally do. Your hair will be shiny, silky, and your scalp will be clean and stimulated from your coffee hair mask.

Tenderizer And Marinade

Coffee makes a fantastic meat tenderizer. This is because the natural acid and enzymes help to break down the muscle fibers in the meat, which is what are bound together, making the meat tough.

Just add some coffee grounds to your dry spice, then use it as a rub for your meat. Coffee accentuates the flavor of any meat that you use it as a spice or marinade with, and the grounds caramelize when you cook with coffee, making a sweet and savory crust This crust is called bark when you are barbecuing.

It produces a nice, tasty crust once you have cooked your meat or, if you prefer marinated meat, take 8 cups of coffee and pour it into your marinating dish, along with your meat Let it sit for at least twelve hours, then season your meat and cook it as you so desire. It will be super tender and delicious.

This is because the coffee will seal in the moisture of the meat and allow the natural juices to be retained as a marinade or a tenderizer. Coffee pairs with any meat perfectly.

Under-Eye Circles

You can treat under-eye circles and puffiness with coffee grounds. This works the very same way that the temporary fix for cellulite works. Caffeine in the coffee grounds stimulates circulation, reducing dark circles and swelling under your eyes. Antioxidants in coffee also fight the free radicals that contribute to skin aging.

The caffeine in the coffee stimulates dilation of your blood vessels, so by rubbing the coffee grounds on your skin, you stimulate circulation in that area. Skin will start to tighten from the stimulating effects of the caffeine in coffee. It improves the blood flow in the area and eliminates excess water.

Because coffee also promotes a healthier overall skin appearance due to the phenols, plant-based chemicals that ward off free radicals in the body, coffee scrubs will give a healthier look to any area you apply it to on your body.

The natural exfoliating effects of the coffee grounds will help to remove dead skin cells, which give a smooth and even look to your skin. The overall effect is a minimization of the visibility of under-eye circles. Also, the massaging method used to apply the coffee assists with lymphatic drainage and stretches the skin tissue to help minimize the appearance of under-eye circles.

You can mix used or new coffee grounds with coconut oil to make it easier to spread. Then spread them directly onto the area you want to reduce the appearance of under-eye circles, then wash them off with gentle soap and water.

Using coffee scrubs can help your skin to look fresher, and it also is a great exfoliator that will rid your body of old skin cells that can make your skin appear dull or look older than you truly are. Using coffee scrubs is a fantastic natural remedy to using harsh chemicals on your skin. It is also much cheaper than the expensive scrubs and exfoliators that are on the market. If you want more guides, we have Keurig vs Verismo and Best Light Roast coffee guide!

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About David Dewitt

Hi, my name is David and I come from Columbus, Ohio. I am a amateur photographer, and a coffee lover. I love to write, and don't mind me a cup of joe!