I’ve been drinking a whole lot of coffee lately, and throwing out those coffee grounds every morning seemed like such a waste! I really don’t like being wasteful, and so I looked into ways that I could reuse some of those grounds that give me my sweet java every morning.

Fertilizer
Instead of throwing your grounds in the garbage, throw them in your garden! Coffee grounds are a great substitute for regular fertilizer that you’d buy in the store. By simply sprinkling grounds in the soil around your plants, or by mixing them with warm water and spraying them, you’ll be helping your garden grow!

Exfoliator
The graininess of the grounds acts as a great exfoliator. When you rub coffee grounds into your skin, the roughness gets rid of dead skin cells, and simple rinse with water will get rid of the dirt and unwanted cells! It’s also gentle enough that it won’t cause irritation, and it doesn’t smell all that bad either!

De-Odorizer
Coffee grounds are great for getting rid of unsavory smells. Or any smells really, that’s why you can often find a little container of coffee grounds by any cosmetic counter selling perfume—too many sprays means too many smells at once, making a test spray useless! They absorb smells, much like baking soda, which makes it a great de-odorizer for your fridge. It also works to neutralize scents from the garbage or even your smelly gym shoes! Just put some dry grounds in a breathable fabric like pantyhose or cheese cloth, or sprinkle some grounds right into your shoes, and the grounds do their work! It also helps to get bad smells out of your skin when soap might not do the job—next time you’re cutting up onions and can’t get rid of that smell on your hands, just wet your hands and rub a bit of coffee grounds on them!

Hair
If you have darker hair, like brown or red, rubbing your hair with coffee grounds can help bring out highlights or enrich the color of your hair. They also add a wonderful shine to any color hair, and can even help with hair growth! Simply add some grounds to your conditioner, or scrub grounds directly onto your hair before rinsing.