11 Awesome Uses For Old Coffee Grounds

My guess is you’re probably like most Americans.

You brew your coffee, filtered or unfiltered, and then when you’re all finished you take those grounds and throw them away in the trash.

Well stop!

Instead of throwing them away you can actually use them for all kinds of different projects; many of which are absolutely essential in a survival situation.

So take a look and learn about all the awesome uses for old coffee grounds.

Discover These 11 Awesome Uses For Old Coffee Grounds

1 – Use them to grow mushrooms:

Yup, if you have a plastic bucket and leftover coffee grounds you can use your coffee grounds to grow edible mushrooms. Best of all is you can use these coffee grounds for years and years before they’re entirely depleted of their nutritional value.

Take a look at this video showing you how this is done.

2 – Use them for compost:

This application is very similar to the use listed above. Coffee grounds offer a ton of nutrients that help create a rich compost. One of the main things coffee grounds will provide is nitrogen which helps enhance the compost process and will provide healthier and more robust compost for gardening.

3 -Use them to keep cats at bay:

Now this isn’t necessarily a survival use, but, I know plenty of people who are tired of cats coming into their gardens, traipsing through their flowers, and getting into places they shouldn’t be.

Good news is coffee grounds spread over areas you’re trying to protect will keep cats out. Plus, adding them into flowerbeds or gardens will also provide plants with nutrients they’ll love.

4 – Use them to clean your cookware:

Coffee grounds are nice and abrasive, meaning you can use them to clean pots and pans in a pinch. This is great of you’re out backpacking or camping. It’s also really useful for cleaning and seasoning cast iron cookware. Cast iron cookware does not do well with chemical cleaners like soap or detergents, so using coffee grounds to clean them will preserve the cookware while also giving it a nice seasoning.

5 – Use them to trap roaches:

Roaches can be a really big problem in both everyday situations and survival situations. Using coffee grounds you can create a trap that’ll attract roaches so you can rid your home of these pests.

And, in dire situations you can even attract the roaches and then use them as food. There are a lot of countries who rely on roaches as a source of protein and nutrition. If it comes to it, you can use coffee grounds to catch food.

6 – Use them to repel pests:

So just the opposite of what the roach traps do (and similar to what they do to cats) coffee grounds can be used to keep pests like snails, slugs, and ants away. That’s because the caffeine in the grounds disrupts their ability to function.

This is great if you have a survival garden you’re eager to protect. Just set it in the soil or sprinkle it around the plants or areas you want to protect.

7 – Use them to marinate and tenderize meat:

Coffee grounds are originally used to brew a strong cup of coffee. And just because those grounds have been used once doesn’t mean there’s a reason they can’t be used a second time around.

Marinating meat in coffee grounds (and a mixing liquid) is a great way to add a nice, smoky flavor to your meat. This is especially useful if you plan on creating jerky with your meat. It can also be used to tenderize the meat.

8 – Make an air freshener with them:

This is a really cool use for old coffee grounds, if you like the smell of coffee that is. Remove the coffee grounds, set them out on a cookie sheet to dry. Once they’re dry take them and place them inside of an old panty hose and tie it off and you’ve got a great air freshener.

9 – Use them to de-ice sidewalks:

Coarse coffee grounds are great in the winter months. Not only do the coarse grounds give you a bit of traction, it’s also really good at melting the ice as the acid in the grounds can help to melt the ice faster.

10 – Use them for skincare:

There are a ton of uses for coffee when it comes to skin care and beauty care.

And while I know this is definitely not a “survival use”, remember this; one of the most important aspects of getting prepared for SHTF scenarios is trying to create a semblance of normalcy in your world.

Coffee for skincare is one of those ways to ensure things feel the same.

So, use it for:

• Face masks
• Getting rid of dark circles under your eyes
• Exfoliating dead skin
• Deodorizing hand soaps

And more.

11 – Use it for fertilizer

So again, tying back into the uses for coffee grounds they’re great as fertilizer sprinkled on the garden. Part of the reason for this is they help attract earthworms, which are necessary for healthy gardens. On top of that they lend acidity to the soil which is incredibly important for a wide variety of plants.

Some More Tips On Coffee Grounds

Now that you’re able to see how great the grounds are for a wide variety of uses.

Keep these tips in mind when working with coffee grounds:

• Damp grounds can get moldy. If you will be storing them for later use, spread them out in a thin layer on paper towels or on a cookie sheet to air dry first. Then you can store the dry grounds in a lidded container for months.
• When you mulch with coffee grounds, don’t pile on too much or it will get moldy. Start with a half-inch or less layer on top of your regular organic mulch. When you notice that it is breaking down as worms and soil microbes go to work, you can add more.
• Many coffee shops will give away their used grounds. Some keep them in a separate “green can” away from other trash. Call or stop by a coffee shop or stand in your area to find out if you can pick some up.
• Other good sources for used grounds are offices and restaurants. It never hurts to ask!