Alternative uses of coffee

10 original ways you didn’t know about how to use coffee

Coffee, especially for us Italians, is a true cult, so much so that alternative uses of it have spread over time in different areas.

Any opportunity is a good one to have a good cup of coffee: early in the morning during breakfast, as soon as we arrive at the office, after meals, and on our various breaks to recharge throughout the day.
Moreover, the possibility of enjoying it in capsules or pods, in addition to the classic mocha, has consolidated this pleasant habit.

If alternatives on how to drink it have multiplied, there have also been a great many ways discovered on how to use coffee beyond the purely food and culinary sphere. Let’s look at some of them.

Coffee for hygiene and cosmetics

1 – Detergent to eliminate bad odors from hands.

Sometimes it may be necessary to remove bad odors from hands that have accumulated while cooking or doing chores around the house or garden. Then rub your hands with a small amount of coffee powder, perhaps recovered from a fund, and then rinse them under water.

2 – Natural body scrub

You can make a mixture to massage into your skin before bathing: just mix one tablespoon of coffee powder with two teaspoons of olive oil. This is an excellent alternative to more expensive and sometimes less effective cosmetic products.

3 – Dye for white hair

Coffee can be used as an aid or even as a natural alternative to white hair dyes found in supermarkets or at the hairdresser. To apply, wet hair with cooled coffee, leave on for about 15 minutes and then rinse with lukewarm water.

4 – Cellulite reduction

There are many cellulite creams that use caffeine for its draining action that also promotes capillary circulation. You can make a DIY cream by mixing coffee powder with almond oil to apply before bathing.

Coffee for household cleaning

5 – Abrasive cleaner

This is a solution for removing stubborn dirt from pots, stoves and hard surfaces. All you need to do is add some coffee powder, or a dry coffee grounds, to a small amount of detergent and mix them before use.

6 – Cleaning the sink and toilet drains.

Coffee grounds can be diluted in water and poured down the drains of sinks, bathtubs and toilets to remove residue and keep odor formation at bay.

7 – Removing scratches from furniture

If there are scratches on particularly dark-colored wooden furniture, try dipping a cloth or brush in a cup of instant coffee and running it over the scratched area to give it a shade similar to that of the original surface.

Coffee for agriculture and small-scale farming

8 – Plant fertilizer

Plants that thrive on acidic soils (especially blueberries and azaleas) will benefit greatly if you sprinkle used coffee grounds or leftover coffee grounds in cups near their roots after diluting them.

9 – Cultivation of mushrooms

Few people know that there are kits that can be purchased online for self-producing mushrooms using coffee grounds. Apparently the idea was launched by Bttr Ventures, an American start-up.

10 – Home Compost

Leftover coffee or coffee grounds can be used to enrich compost or potting soil. In fact, it often happens that plants need rather acidic soils, especially during transplanting, and coffee can help given its property of releasing nitrogen into the soil.