Every day, when you belong to a household that likes morning filter coffee, you throw a coffee filter (unbleached) and its coffee grounds into the household garbage. The idea is not to give up the morning drink, which is both a necessity and a ritual but to find new ecological, economical and practical uses for this waste, in the garden and at home.
The right uses of coffee grounds at home
An odor absorber
- Fill a jam jar with coffee grounds.
- Place the jar at the bottom of your fridge: it will have a deodorizing effect.
- Coffee grounds can also eliminate unpleasant odors on hands after cutting garlic or onions, for example. Just rub them with coffee grounds and rinse.
A candle to perfume your home
- Add a little coffee grounds to melted beeswax.
- Place a wick in a jar.
- Pour the mixture into the jar. This produces a candle that burns with a sweet roasted coffee aroma.
A natural wood stain
- Mix coffee grounds, water, and white vinegar in equal proportions.
- Let the mixture steep for one hour.
- Apply the stain with a cloth to a wooden surface. Allow the wood to soak in the stain for a longer or shorter period, depending on the desired shade, before rinsing. It is also a way to blur or remove scratches.
A natural scrub
Use the coffee grounds for a natural body scrub. To do this, mix the coffee grounds with a little honey and coconut oil. Rub with a little warm water. For rougher areas such as elbows or feet, combine coffee with a little salt before applying.
The uses of coffee grounds in the garden
An organic fertilizer
Coffee grounds are an excellent natural fertilizer. Slightly acidic, it is ideal for hydrangeas to help strengthen their blue coloring but also for tomatoes.
- Spread the coffee grounds at the base of your plants.
- Mix the marc with the soil in the garden using a light hoeing technique.
A compost activator
If you have a vermicomposter to sort your organic or other waste, consider adding the coffee grounds. Earthworms are particularly fond of it because it helps them digest the organic matter in your compost pile. Very sensitive to caffeine, earthworms are also more active in their work of transforming plants into compost.
A soil for sowing rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium
- Mix one part of this brown gold with one part of garden soil to obtain the ideal soil for germinating your seeds.
- Thanks to a carbon/nitrogen ratio of 20 (one part nitrogen to 20 part carbon), the coffee grounds are ideal as they gradually release nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to young plants.
A natural repellent against small pests
- Sprinkle coffee grounds around your plants. Although coffee grounds no longer contain enough caffeine to be toxic to slugs or snails, they can still keep them away.
- After heavy rains, think of spreading it again to surround your vegetable plants or flower beds.
Preparation of a liquid fertilizer: step by step
- Collect the filter from your coffee maker and pour the grounds into a container containing 2 liters of water.
- Stir the mixture and let it stand for 24 to 48 hours in a cool room, such as a garage or cellar.
- Filter the liquid to remove the coffee beans.
- Water all your plants using this homemade fertilizer.