Other Uses for Coffee Beans

When you're done drinking coffee, use the grounds to clean the cup.

Many people rely on coffee to help them wake up and get through the day. What many coffee drinkers fail to realize is that coffee is a versatile bean that can be used in several different facets of your daily life. There are other uses for coffee beans in and around the house that don't involve brewing.

Gardening

Use coffee beans in your garden to make it grow lush and green. Ground coffee beans put into the soil of your potted plants will keep out bugs and mites. Add ground coffee beans to your backyard garden to keep animals away. Coffee will even aid in the growth of carrots and radish and acts as a fertilizer when sprinkled on your lawn. Coffee grounds make for good compost material. Just be sure to keep pets away from coffee grounds used in gardening as they can be toxic to animals if eaten.

Health and Beauty

Ground coffee beans are recommended for health and beauty treatments. Caffeine can help to reduce puffiness in your skin when used as a facial mask. Combine an egg white with 1/4 cup of coffee grounds and leave the facial mask on for 15 minutes to let it work its magic. Create an exfoliating body scrub that reduces cellulite by adding coffee grounds to your favorite body lotion. Leave the scrub on for 30 minutes and, when finished, be sure to rehydrate yourself.

Odor Elimination

Coffee has a strong, pleasant odor which can be used to eliminate other offensive odors around your house. Put a few whole coffee beans in any area of your home where odor may cause problems, such as a trash can, hamper, diaper pail or coat closet. Put a few whole beans into your a pair of stinky shoes to eliminate the odor. Put a handful of coffee beans into a sock or old nylon and place in the fridge to keep it fresh. Coffee can even be used to eliminate odor from your hands by scrubbing them with coffee grounds.

Cleaning

Coffee is a good instrument to use for cleaning. Create a dish scrubber by placing coffee grounds inside of a piece of fabric and tying it together. The texture of the grounds is perfect for removing hard to clean stains from pots and pans. Coffee grounds can be used to remove scratches from polished wood. Rub wet coffee grounds across the scratch to remove the blemishes from the surface of the wood, or whip up a new batch of wood stain by diluting coffee grounds with water and applying with a paint brush.

References

• ABDPBT: 14 Crazy Alternative Uses for Coffee