There's nothing quite like brewing a fresh cup of coffee using your favourite coffee beans or coffee capsules. But have you ever wondered what you can do with your leftover, used coffee grounds? Never fear, here are our Top Five Tips for you to try out at home:
- Repel Insects and Pests:
Certain compounds in coffee are quite toxic to insects like mosquitoes and ants, and their strong senses of smell deter them from the grounds. Put some in a bowl, or sprinkle some by problem areas to keep them away.
- Eliminate odours:
Coffee grounds contain traces of nitrogen, which help remove foul odours, plus, who doesn’t love the smell of coffee?! You could place a bowl of grounds in your fridge or freezer to neutralise spoiled or fragrant foods or fill a sock or pantyhose with grounds and let it hang where you want the scent to be.
- Clean your fireplace:
Cleaning the braai or fireplace can be quite messy; with the ashes and dust getting everywhere. Scattering grounds over the ashes beforehand weighs it down, making it easier to remove without all the mess.
- Tenderise meat:
Coffee contains naturals acids and enzymes making it an effective tenderiser and can also enhance the flavour of your meat. Simply add used coffee grounds to your dry-rub recipe for the meat!
- Treat dark circles under the eyes:
The caffeine and antioxidants in coffee can help prevent the appearance of ageing. The caffeine also has anti-inflammatory properties and stimulates blood circulation around the eyes, which can help reduce dark circles.
It seems like coffee, and coffee grounds in particular can perform certain miracles! So, remember to hold on to your grounds when you brew your coffee or you could ask your nearest coffee shop if they have used coffee grounds they’re willing to part ways with.
