How to Reuse Coffee and Coffee Grounds

As a daily drinker, I have a lot coffee grounds. In the spirit of the 3 green R's Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, I've managed to find few ways to reuse those old coffee grounds.

As a body scrub. Mix a bit of oil or cleanser into a handful of coffee grounds and exfoliate those dead those dead skin cells away! However, you should not use coffee grounds as a facial scrub because they are too sharp and rough to use on delicate facial skin.

For shiny hair and to prevent dandruff. After shampooing, rub a handful of coffee grounds through your hair to increase the shine and scalp to help prevent dandruff. Rinse the grounds out of your hair (this took awhile for me because my hair is long and it made a big mess in my shower afterwards!) Coffee may add dark highlights to dark colored hair. Blondes may want to stay away from this tip.

Make fertilizer.Place those coffee grounds in a traditional or worm compost bin.

Make quickie compost <http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=AnRYGoT_iUMi__pGyiHVi9KkfqU5/SIG=12dblbegt/**http://condo-blues.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-to-make-quickie-compost.html> . This is a great alternative for anyone who doesn't have room for a traditional or worm compost bin.

As a plant booster. Pour coffee grounds directly on the soil around the base of roses, acid loving plants like azaleas, and unbelievably, carrots and radishes.

Make iced coffee. Freeze leftover coffee into ice cube trays. Then use those coffee cubes to cool down a warm cup of coffee.

Make Vietnamese-style coffee popsicles <http://www.yumsugar.com/1663993> .

As a deodorizer. Dry used coffee grounds on a cookie sheet. Put them into a porous container such as a paper bag (paper wine bags work well for this), a leg of pantyhose, or an empty butter tub with holes poked into the lid. I sometimes use an old room deodorizer container. Place the container in a room, refrigerator/freezer, or even in a musty smelling piece of furniture. As long as the coffee has access to air, it will trap odors and musty smells. For a short-term quick fix, I do the same thing with a freshly empty coffee can or bag in a closed closet.

To repeal garden pests. Spread coffee grounds around anthills to deter ants or mix with orange peels and spread it in a flowerbed to deter cats from using it as a litter box. However, be aware that some pets like to eat coffee grounds and that can cause coffee toxicity. The symptoms in both cats and dogs range from mild hyperexcitablity to the severe such as causing arrhythmias and seizures.

As a pot scrubber. Add a handful of coffee grounds an extra abrasive when cleaning clean stuck on food gunk from the bottom of a cast iron or metal pot or pan. However, this method may stain light color items such as porcelain sinks, pots and pans, or storage containers.

There you have it... few useful tips for reusing old coffee and coffee grounds that may not only save you money but may also help you save the planet. How do you reuse coffee grounds?