Coffee just keeps giving & giving
People most commonly drink coffee to relieve mental and physical fatigue and to increase mental alertness. Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from roasted coffee beans, the seeds of berries from certain Coffea species. When coffee berries turn from green to bright red in color – indicating ripeness – they are picked, processed, and dried. Dried coffee seeds (referred to as “beans”) are roasted to varying degrees, depending on the desired flavor. Roasted beans are ground and then brewed with near-boiling water to produce the beverage known as coffee. Coffee is darkly colored, bitter, slightly acidic and has a stimulating effect in humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. But after brewing, what’s your usual method for disposing of used coffee grounds? Does their destiny lie in the garbage disposal? The trash? Do you toss them out the window? As it turns out, the coffee experience doesn’t have to end with the last sip of your mug. Those used coffee grounds are capable of an encore. They just keep giving and giving.
Eliminate Odors
Spread coffee grounds out on a cookie sheet and 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 utilize coffee grounds to eliminate odors is to make them into frozen tablets. Just drop one into your running garbage disposal to keep it smelling fresh!
Get Bigger Blooms
Coffee grounds are highly acidic, so spread them generously over the flower beds of acid loving plants, such as azaleas, rhododendrons, and Hydrangeas, for amazing blooms!
Fertilize Your Garden
When planting carrot and radish seeds, mix them liberally with coffee grounds before you plant. You will double your harvest!
Enhance The Flavour 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 flavour.
Make An Acnefighting 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.
Make An Exfoliating Scrub
Coffee grounds make an excellent exfoliator for skin, and the caffeine in coffee help promote healthier, tighter skin. To make your own exfoliating scrub, add coconut oil, vitamin E oil, or jojoba oil to coffee grounds and rub it over your skin while in the shower.