From Scrubs to Scratches: 5 Ways to Reuse Coffee Grounds

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Here at Royal Cup, we’re always looking for ways to positively impact the environment. From our Rainforest Alliance Certified™ products to fair trade initiatives, our team is committed to changing the world for the better – one cup at a time. But we can’t do this alone! There are easy ways for each of us to get involved and make environmentally friendly decisions in our everyday lives. Today, we’re sharing five methods for recycling old Royal Cup coffee grinds. 

Who Wood Have Thought?!

If you have wooden floors, you know the struggle is REAL to keep them in tip-top condition. Whether it’s your fluffy friend, little ones, or just the chaos of everyday life, scratches can easily overtake wooden floors. While there’re many stain and scratch removers out there, we’ve got a much perkier (and easier) trick to help you out! Mix a small amount of old coffee grounds with warm water to make a paste, rub the paste over the scratch, and wipe it off with a towel. The grounds will re-stain the wood and make the scratches much less noticeable.

Never Bean Cleaner

You’d probably never guess that used coffee grinds make an awesome natural face and body scrub, but we promise you’ll love it a-latte! The roughness of the grounds helps remove dead skin cells without irritation (or irritating the environment, like exfoliants with microbeads). Simply rub the grinds on your skin in a circular motion while showering, and then wash them off with cool water.

Putting a Bitter End to Smelly Hands

There’s nothing better than a home-cooked meal, but we all know it’s not always the cleanest process. Pungent flavors like garlic and onion taste amazing in your dish, but don’t smell as great – especially on your hands. Coffee grinds are the perfect cooking sidekick to tackle the leftover smells. After cooking, wet your hands and rub a small amount of coffee grounds on them, then rinse with cool water. This removes the unwanted odors from your hands and nails.

Peace Out, Pests

Any gardeners out there?! It’s no secret that ants, slugs, and snails can infest gardens and plants. Luckily, these annoying pests don’t enjoy a morning pick-me-up the way we do. Pests hate the smell of coffee, so it’s an easy, natural, and cheap way to tell these insects to hit the road! All you have to do is spread used coffee grounds around infested areas. Make sure to add new grounds every day!

Winter is Brewing  

Winter’s almost here, and we’re SO excited for nights around the fireplace filled with hot chocolate and smores. As much as we love a good fire, fireplaces can be very dangerous when not cleaned properly. Coffee grinds are a great option when it comes to a woodstove or fireplace cleaner. Throw them directly into the fireplace on top of the ashes. This weighs the ashes down and make them much easier to clean out.

We hope these tips make you think twice before tossing out for old grounds! For more sustainability ideas, check out our blog.