I love coffee. I don't mean I like it a lot, I mean I LOVE it. So it's only fitting that I write an entry on things you can do with it, other than drink it. So here are some great uses for your grounds (mostly) and one for the whole bean: Used coffee grounds make great fertilizer. They’re full of nutrients such as nitrogen, calcium, magnesium and potassium that are great for plants that thrive in acidic soil. Collect them in a container and use them to fertilize rosebushes, azaleas, rhododendrons, evergreens, and camellias. Drip grounds from a standard coffee maker are richer in nitrogen than those from a percolator. Spread the grounds around your plants right on top of the soil to allow for a slow release of the minerals. Be sure you know which plants like the acid and which ones don't (hint: tomatoes don't). If you're looking to grow vibrantly blue hydrangeas, you're probably adding aluminum to the soil. Work coffee grounds in and they'll absorb the aluminum better and be even bluer! Used coffee grounds make a great composting agent. Mix your used coffee grounds (and even the filters) with lye to make a great composting agent. The grounds and bacteria on it are a food source for your worms and the grit helps them digest better. A theme in many posts is what goes in equates to what comes out. Better worms = better soil. Used coffee grounds make a great repellant. Coffee's strong odor helps to keep insects and animals away. Mosquitoes, ants, slugs and maggots all dislike the acidity of coffee and will stay away from areas where there is high concentration of acidic soil. To help keep cats from using your garden (plant or veggie) as a personal litter box, mix orange peels with coffee grounds and sprinkle around your plants. Fresh coffee grounds make a great deodorizer. Make a sachet using cheesecloth or (unused!) pantyhose and ground coffee (not used) and leave it in the back of your fridge and freezer to help absorb strong food odors like onions, and makes it smell like fresh coffee. Fresh coffee grounds make a great steak rub. Toast fresh coffee grounds under a hot broiler for about 30 seconds, shaking often to prevent burning. Add the toasted coffee to other steak spices (try salt, pepper, garlic powder and dry mustard) and rub into the steak. Leave it in the fridge for a few hours and cook as desired. It'll give your steak a nice little kick. Whole coffee beans make a great breath freshener. Whole coffee beans can be used to freshen your breath! Keep a bag in your purse or desk drawer and pop a bean in your mouth after lunch. Sucking on it will quickly give you fresher breath without aspartame! Used coffee grounds help clean dishes. For grease and grime on your dishes, put a little bit of used grounds on a rag and use to clean your dishes instead of scouring pads and SOS pads. Rinse thoroughly. Used coffee grounds help clean hands. Rub a scoop of grounds between palms as an exfoliant to remove dead skin and help eliminate smells from foods like fish and garlic. Also helps get the capsaicin off your hands after chopping hot peppers. Here's a great recipe to make your own coffee ground soap: heart-hands-home Used coffee grounds help moisturize skin. Exfoliating with coffee grounds can help stimulate blood flow, promoting healthier and tighter skin. Just add mineral oil or vitamin E oil to old coffee grounds and apply it to your skin with a loofah. Fresh coffee grounds fight cellulite. All cellulite creams you buy contain caffeine - that's what's fighting the cellulite. You can use used grounds, but fresh has a higher concentration of caffeine, so if you're going to do it - take it all the way! Mix 1/4 cup warm grounds with a tbsp of oil (olive, almond or massage - pretty much anything but cooking oils) and apply to your cellulite zones. Wrap in plastic and wait about five minutes. Take off the plastic, brush off excess grounds and take a warm shower using a loofah. Here's a few great exfoliating recipes: natureshomespa Fresh coffee grounds can give you a facelift. Again - the wonder of caffeine. Mix 1/4 cup of fresh coffee grounds with one egg white, and then spread the mixture over your face. Once it is dry and flakey, rub the mask off and rinse your face. Your face will feel tighter - and no going under the knife or needles involved. Used coffee grounds help your hair shine. Brunettes and dark redheads can benefit from rinsing their hair in coffee to rejuvenate their color. Just steep your used grounds in two cups of hot water and then rinse this through your hair. Blondes need not apply - this will stain your hair. Do you have any tips? Post in the comments below! Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest, Twitter, retweet my blogs (please!) and never miss a post by subscribing to RSS.
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AuthorHi! I'm Sonja and I'm glad you're here! I'm happy to share some recipes and gardening tips with you while I let you know about great (or not so great) products, services, and media I encounter. Visit my online shop at MysteriousDragonfyre.com
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