What To Do With Coffee Grounds: 20 Uses For Coffee Grounds

You can use coffee grounds to keep fleas off your dog, repair small scratches in wood furniture, and refresh black and brown clothing that has faded.

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These Coffee Ground Uses Turn Trash Into Treasure

I’m not a coffee drinker, but I’ve made plenty of coffee at various jobs I’ve had and have thrown away plenty of used coffee grounds! So when I ran across an article talking about ways you can use (or reuse) coffee grounds, I was quite intrigued!

With the average American consuming about 3 cups of coffee a day, that means there are a lot of coffee grounds out there getting dumped in the trash. So before you throw yours out, consider keeping them and putting them to good use!

Find out what to do with coffee grounds below.

Ask For Used Coffee Grounds At Coffee Shops

If you’re not a coffee drinker, or don’t drink it very regularly, there are other ways to get your hands on used coffee grounds.
Ask at your local coffee shops if they have any used coffee grounds they’d be willing to give you.
Many shops, including many Starbucks locations, set aside bags of used coffee grounds for people who want them to use at home or in their gardens.

20 Unexpected Uses For Coffee Grounds

Use coffee grounds to clean your garbage disposal.

1. Eliminate Odors

Spread coffee grounds out on a cookie sheet, allow them to dry, then put them in a bowl in your refrigerator or freezer to neutralize odors. (This also works well to get rid of mothball smells from closets or campers!)

Another useful way to eliminate odors with coffee grounds is to make them into frozen tablets. Just drop one into your running garbage disposal to keep it smelling fresh! (See the link below for more details.)

2. Remove Garlic Odor From Hands

Keep some coffee grounds in a small can under the sink. The next time you chop an onion or fresh garlic, scoop out a small amount of grounds, rub them over your hands, then rinse for odor-free hands and fingers.

Coffee grounds can be used on acid-loving plants for bigger blooms.

3. Get Bigger Blooms

Coffee grounds are highly acidic, which makes them a great soil amendment for acid-loving plants and flowers, such as azaleas, rhododendrons, and hydrangeas. Spread coffee grounds around the base of these plants for amazing blooms!

4. Feed Your Compost Pile

Coffee grounds are loaded with phosphorous, potassium, magnesium, and copper, all of which are great additions to compost. They also release nitrogen as they break down, which helps make for especially rich compost.

There are many uses for coffee grounds in the garden -- from deterring cats to enriching your compost.

5. Feed Seedlings

Give seedlings a nitrogen boost by stirring coffee grounds into soil or a watering can.

6. Fertilize Your Garden

When planting carrot and radish seeds, mix them liberally with coffee grounds before planting. Some gardeners say you can double your harvest this way!

Use coffee grounds and olive oil made into a paste to darken and hide scratches on wood furniture.

7. Repair Scratched Furniture

To disguise a small scratch or scuff mark on your furniture, mix 1 tablespoon of coffee grounds with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Apply the mixture with a cotton swab or cotton ball, then wipe dry. (And as with most DIY repairs, it’s always a good idea to test in an inconspicuous area first.)

8. Clean Up Dirty Hands

Make your own gardener’s soap by melting a bar of glycerin soap, then stirring 1/3 cup of coffee grounds into the melted soap. Pour the soap and grounds into a soap mold, let it harden, then use the soap to exfoliate and wash dirty hands after a productive gardening session!

You can even use coffee grounds to trap cockroaches.

9. Trap Cockroaches

Fill a can or jar with an inch or two of moistened coffee grounds, then line the container’s neck with extra-sticky double-sided tape. The scent will draw cockroaches in and the tape will trap them.

10. Food For Worms

If you have a vermicomposting system at home (also called a “worm bin”), add your coffee grounds to it! It’s a great way to reduce your carbon footprint while producing liquid fertilizers and compost for your garden.

Rub used coffee grounds into your dog's fur after a bath to kill fleas and make his coat soft and shiny.

11. Kill Fleas

If you’re a dog owner wondering what to do with coffee grounds, you’ll be happy to hear they can help keep fleas at bay! After shampooing your dog’s fur, rub 1 to 2 cups of coffee grounds into the fur and rinse well. Not only will this help kill any fleas that may be hiding in his fur, but he’ll feel silky smooth afterward!

12. Deter Ants & Other Pests

Sprinkle old coffee grounds to help get rid of ants, or sprinkle them directly on ant hills themselves. Used grounds can also repel snails and slugs too.

Instant coffee grounds make chocolate and chili taste richer.

13. Enhance The Flavor Of Chocolate And Chili

Adding instant coffee grounds or brewed coffee enhances the flavor of chocolate cakes and chili. Substitute strong coffee for some of the water in a recipe to give it a richer, bolder flavor.

14. Deter Cats From Your Garden

Mix used coffee grounds with chopped orange peels and sprinkle the mixture liberally around your garden and flowerbeds. The scent of coffee grounds and citrus will help deter your cat (and those around the neighborhood) from using your garden as their own private litter box.

Use coffee grounds and milk to make an anti-acne mask.

15. Make An Acne-Fighting Mask

Coffee’s natural astringent and antioxidant properties make it a great DIY mask treatment, especially for those with acne-prone skin. Just mix your coffee grounds with enough milk to make a paste, then apply it and let it sit for about 20 minutes. Rub the mixture gently for about a minute before rinsing clean.

16. Tenderize Meat

Add a tablespoon of fresh coffee grounds to your favorite meat marinade. The coffee will help tenderize the meat and give it a mild smoky flavor.

A rinse with coffee grounds steeped in water will give dark hair a beautiful shine.

17. Add Shine To Darker Hair

Brunettes and darker redheads can turn up the shine in their hair by rinsing their hair with strong, cooled coffee. Or for a darker, more vibrant shine, steep used coffee grounds in 2 cups hot water for 15 minutes, then allow it to cool before rinsing your hair with it. (Not recommended for blonde hair.)

18. Fight Cellulite

Surprisingly enough, coffee is the main ingredient in many of those high-priced cellulite creams! To take advantage of those benefits at home, mix 1/4 cup of warm coffee grounds with 1 tablespoon olive oil, then apply the mixture liberally to areas of cellulite. Cover the area with plastic wrap and let it sit 10 minutes. Afterward, unwrap and shower as usual.

Use the coffee grounds and the coffee itself added to your washing machine to revive dark fabrics that have faded.

19. Revive Faded Dark Clothing

Are your darker clothes looking a little faded? Add a pot of freshly brewed coffee and the grounds you used to make it to your washing machine along with your brown and black clothing. The coffee will lightly stain the material to renew and revitalize the look of dark colors.

20. Make An Exfoliating Scrub

Coffee grounds make an excellent exfoliator for skin, and the caffeine in coffee promotes healthier, tighter skin too. To make your own exfoliating scrub, add coconut oil, vitamin E oil, or jojoba oil to coffee grounds, then rub it over your skin while in the shower.

Looking For More Posts Like This?

I’ve written dozens of blog posts about creative alternative uses for everyday items, and now there’s a quick and easy way to peruse them!
Check out all of my “Uses For” posts here.

What other uses for coffee grounds would you add to this list?