Living in apartments near downtown Durham offers a vibrant lifestyle full of unique opportunities, including the chance to incorporate sustainable habits into your daily routine. One simple way to start is by reconsidering the fate of those used coffee grounds from your morning brew, a ritual shared by millions of Americans. As much as coffee is cherished for its energizing taste and delightful aroma, the remnants of your cup can serve new functions beyond the trash bin.
Often discarded without a thought, these coffee grounds hold hidden potential. If you're an everyday coffee enthusiast looking to repurpose them creatively, you're in luck. With the right inspiration, you can transform these grounds into practical and enjoyable items for everyday use.
So the next time you're enjoying your coffee in your cozy space, keep those grounds handy and explore inventive ways to breathe new life into them.
1. Odor Remover
Have you ever tried using activated charcoal to absorb foul smells? You might not find it super effective as an odor remover, especially in large areas.
But with coffee grounds, you can enjoy a fresh-smelling apartment in no time.
Dump them into a cheesecloth bag or a pantyhose, place them near the source of the stink, and witness how they can make it completely gone. You can also store them in a bowl, place them in the fridge, and they'll easily remove any foul food smells.
2. Body Scrub
Coffee aficionados and skincare enthusiasts alike will surely make more cups of joe after knowing coffee's skin health benefits.
A natural exfoliating agent, the gritty texture of coffee grounds can help remove dead cells and dirt from your skin. Mix them with coconut oil, almond oil, or any natural oil you prefer, scrub the mixture on your body or face, and enjoy smooth sweet-smelling skin in an instant.
3. Fertilizer
Love brewing coffee and collecting houseplants in your apartment? You don't need to buy fertilizers every season. You can feed your plants for free with coffee grounds.
No need to mix your used grounds with anything at all. All you have to do is get these grounds from the filter and sprinkle them on top of the soil.
Because coffee grounds contain nitrogen, magnesium, and other beneficial nutrients, they can significantly help improve the health of your plants.
4. Compost Ingredient
Want a no-fuss way of reusing coffee grounds? If you have a compost bin in your apartment, toss them there. Your used grounds will help speed up the decomposition process of organic material, giving you nutrient-rich compost to feed your plants' soil.
And if you're vermicomposting, your worms will surely work overtime to eat organic matter mixed with coffee grounds. With the gritty substance in coffee grounds, worms can digest and grind down their food more easily.
5. Candles
You have to admit, the scent of coffee candles is pretty intoxicating. With coffee grounds, you can make yours at home with a few candle-making supplies.
So set aside some used grounds and start the candle-making process. Once you have the first layer of melted wax and wick settled, add a layer of coffee grounds and pour the rest of the wax into your candle container.
After your candle has solidified, you can burn it and relish the delicious smells of coffee surrounding your apartment.
6. Paint
What's great about coffee grounds is that you can take up fun hobbies using them. Apart from candle making, you can use these grounds to paint monochromatic art.
To make your coffee paint, stir one part coffee grounds in one to two parts water, depending on how dark you want your paint to be. Then, grab your paintbrush and start painting.
Once you've finished painting, apply a thin layer of varnish to preserve your caffeine-infused work of art.
7. Soap
Another hobby to try out with coffee grounds? Soap making. Besides acting as an exfoliant, coffee soap can help reduce cellulite and give you more radiant-looking skin.
Whether you choose the melt and pour method or the cold process, you can easily incorporate coffee grounds into your soap mix. Just add the grounds into the melted soap or lye and stir to combine, until the grounds are spread out evenly. Then, pour the mixture into your mold and allow it to set and cure.
Whichever way you prefer to reuse coffee, remember that it not only gives waste a new purpose-it's also an inexpensive way to treat yourself. So go ahead, feed your plants, or make some candles, and enjoy the rewards from repurposing coffee waste.
Heights at Lasalle Apartments in Durham, NC