Four Fun Uses for Coffee Grounds

Transcription

1 Here s a little story about me and my coffee maker. I should preface this story with, I LOVE COFFEE. I mean, I really love coffee. Sometimes I want to go to bed early so I can wake up and have coffee. Then I realize that s just crazy talk, there s no need to wait. I can have coffee right now at midnight while I m in bed staring at the clock because for some reason I can t sleep. Because of this love of coffee, I have every type of coffee maker there is. I have a drip machine, a French press, a stovetop percolator and, my pride and joy, the coffee maker I use several times a day, my semi-automatic espresso maker. After seven or so years of use, this coffee maker started to slow down. The coffee wasn t as hot as it should be and it was churning out coffee at an alarmingly slow rate. It was showing signs of revolt, so I took it to the manufacturer to get a tune up. Yes, my coffee maker requires maintenance. They took a quick look at it, read the computer chip inside, and asked when I needed it back in the office. Me: Office? Oh, there must be some mistake. This isn t an office coffee maker. It s mine. For me. In my home. Coffee Manufacturer: Home? This has been used only in A HOME? How many people are in this home? Me: Um just me, really. Coffee Manufacturer: (Calls other employees over to marvel at me and my coffee maker.) Ma am, you ve made 15,000 cups of coffee since you ve owned this machine. That s unheard of, ma am. Me: Yeah, sounds about right. Please stop calling me ma am. This got me to thinking, not about cutting down on my coffee consumption, but about all of those coffee grounds. Every once in a while, I d put them in the compost pile or throw them randomly in the garden. But at the rate I drink coffee, it seems like I could be doing more with them. So about six months ago, I started my research into different ways to use coffee grounds. I found four tips that work and are really useful. 1/5

2 1. Use it in the fridge to absorb smells instead of using baking soda. This really and truly works. I ve tried it and was amazed. Just fill a bowl with old coffee grounds and set it in the refrigerator like you would a box or bowl of baking soda. 2/5

3 2. Boost the blue in your hydrangeas by amending the soil with a lot of coffee grounds. Apply coffee grounds around the base of the plant to change the ph level of the soil and turn a pink hydrangea blue. 3. Clean your pots and pans. Out of abrasive scrubbing pads? Coffee grounds in the pan will scrub off most messes. 3/5

4 4. Exfoliate your skin. This was easily my favorite use for coffee grounds. Mix some grounds with olive oil to form a paste. Keep it near the sink to clean up after gardening, painting or anything else that gets your hands messy. It s also reportedly a great face mask, and I don t doubt it for a second. The coffee grounds exfoliate your skin, while the olive oil leaves it feeling soft and moisturized. Coffee grounds also have the added bonus of making your hands smell like coffee! which in turn makes me want coffee. Immediately. Yes, ma am. 4/5

5 Text and photos by Karen Bertelsen Karen Bertelsen is a Gemini Award nominated television host who has appeared on some of Canada s major networks including HGTV, W Network, Slice and MuchMoreMusic. Three years ago she started the blog The Art of Doing Stuff ( as a creative outlet for her writing and endless home projects. The Art of Doing Stuff now receives over half a million views per month and has been featured in Better Homes & Gardens, Style at Home and Canadian Gardening magazines. 5/5