Five Things To Do With Your Coffee Grounds

Friday 5th November, 2021

With this year’s Unblocktober campaign playing a crucial role in helping people become more aware of the items you can and cannot safely dispose of down your drain, it got us thinking about one of the most popular beverages consumed around the globe... coffee! 

Thanks to Unblocktober, you may now be aware that coffee grounds are not suitable for going down the drain - but did you know that there are actually several practical uses for your unwanted coffee grounds? 

Listed below are five different unique uses for your coffee grounds that can help you avoid clogging your drains.

Facial Skin Care

It does seem rather far-fetched that someone would scrub their skin with coffee grounds, but due to the coarse particles within the coffee grounds, they can be effective at exfoliating, smoothing and softening the skin naturally. 

The caffeine in coffee grounds can also temporarily improve the look of your skin, again due to the caffeine constricting the skin and making it look firmer. Furthermore, to ensure the coffee does not go down the drain - wipe the coffee grounds off with a cotton pad, and dispose of them into the bin. 

Garden Fertiliser

If you are an avid gardener, you are probably more than aware that most soil does not contain the necessary nutrients and minerals for optimal plant growth. 

As a plant’s life cycle continues, it will absorb significantly more nutrients from the soil - eventually leaving the soil devoid of nutrients altogether. What all of this means is that gardens need to be fertilised to guarantee that the plants have all of the necessary nutrients to grow. 

This brings up the conversation about what can be used as plant fertiliser - and this is where coffee comes in. Coffee grounds contain multiple vital nutrients and minerals that are paramount for plant growth, including nitrogen, calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium and chromium, making them a potentially valuable addition to your gardening regimen.

Flea Removal 

Everybody knows the stress of attempting to remove fleas from your household pets, and sometimes it can prove to be a real task. Flea removal can also become rather costly if the treatments just are not working.

Luckily for pet owners, fleas do not seem to like coffee very much - meaning coffee grounds can become a cheap, natural solution for flea removal. All that is required for this process is just to rub the grounds into your pet’s fur after using some shampoo, and then rinse and dry them off outside just like you normally would do.

It goes without saying that this whole process would be significantly easier if you own a dog. All cat owners out there know that the majority of cats hate water and they will fight tooth and nail to get out of the situation, so please take that into consideration before you decide whether or not coffee grounds would be an efficient method of flea removal for your cat.

Tenderise Meat

Coffee grounds can be used for many unlikely purposes, but the idea of coffee having the ability to tenderise meat may sound rather improbable. Meat accommodates many muscle fibres and proteins, which gives it a tough consistency. 

Luckily coffee grounds contain many properties that are efficient at tenderising meat, this makes them a prime candidate for the task. Some of these properties include salt, enzymes and acids. Due to the coffee grounds being acidic, this will also help enhance the flavour of the meat.

All you have to do is add the coffee grounds to your optimal dry-rub recipe and apply it to the meat two hours before cooking. 

Deodoriser

After a while, your fridge can begin to smell rather stale and the only thing that seems to fix this issue is if you give it a deep clean. It is a good job that coffee works as an excellent deodoriser - coffee will extinguish those stubborn odours from within your fridge. 

Another excellent example of coffee grounds being a top-tier deodoriser is when you are chopping garlic, onions or fish. Usually the odour will stay on your hands for hours even after multiple washes, simply just keep a dish of coffee grounds in your kitchen. Ensure you wipe off the coffee grounds with a paper towel and dispose of it in the bin.  

By exploring these unique alternatives to putting your coffee grounds down the drain, you will be able to avoid the potentially serious impact that this form of food waste can have on your drains

Improper disposal of coffee grounds down the sink can contribute to the formation of blockages, leading to indoor flooding and damage to the pipework. It can also contribute to sewer blockages, fatberg formation and pollution of our sewers and seas.

So why not join our campaign to prevent these negative habits? In 2019, the first Unblocktober saw more than 4,500 Britons change their kitchen and bathroom habits at home and at work, rising to 14,500 in 2020. By getting involved in Unblocktober each year, you can join the thousands of Britons trying to make a change!  

For more information on Unblocktober, please visit our website.