20 Genius Uses for Leftover Coffee and Coffee Grounds

Before you empty your leftover coffee or throw out the coffee grounds, we asked our readers to help us compile 20 genius uses to recycle your coffee and coffee grounds.

One of our readers said, “Leftover coffee? That would be like having leftover money! there is none.”

Uses for Leftover Coffee

#1. Stain wood

Dab a cloth in coffee and run it over scratches in your wood furniture or hardwood floor. The coffee will stain the scratch and help blend it in. You can also mix it with a little vinegar and warm water.

#2. Soak a dirty grill 

The acid in the coffee will help cut through the grease on your grill and make cleaning easier.

#3. Make iced coffee 

Store leftover coffee in a pitcher in your refrigerator and make coffee ice cubes so your drink will not get diluted.

#4. Add a little bit to your oatmeal

Instead of milk, add coffee to your oatmeal for a stronger flavor.

#5. Add a little to your chili

Do this for a warm flavor. I make it in the crockpot and add about a quarter cup. You can find recipes that recommend adding even more.

#6. Add it to chocolate cake or brownie recipes

To replace some of the liquid in the recipe for a strong delicious flavor, use coffee.

#7. Add a bit to your frosting or icing recipe

Use coffee to replace some of the liquid or to thin it out.

#8. Add a little bit to your gravy

Add coffee to your gravy for a deep color and extra flavor.

#9. Dye paper

To make the paper look antique. 

#10.  Dye fabric

Soak fabric in a bath of leftover cooled coffee for a lovely aged color. I found a tutorial here: How to Dye Fabric Using Coffee.

Uses for Leftover Coffee Grounds

Tip – if you want to dry the coffee grounds, place them on a baking sheet and put them in the oven set to 200º for about 20 to 30 minutes. Stir them about halfway through. Your bonus is the wonderful aroma you have wafting through your home. Let them cool and then store them in a glass jar with a lid or a baggie.

Get rid of the garlic and onion smell

After cooking with garlic or onions, rub used coffee grounds on your hands and wash them with soap. No more smell.

Keep bugs away

Used coffee grounds act as a natural barrier to insects. Line your garden or potted plants to keep the pests out. Readers said it is a great deterrent for snails and slugs around tomato plants.

Keep cats out of the garden

Sprinkle coffee grounds in your garden if you have cats using it as a potty.

Fertilize plants

Mix coffee grounds in the soil as a nitrogen-infused fertilizer. Plants such as roses, hydrangeas, blueberries, and evergreens love the natural acidity that coffee adds to the soil, but check to make sure your specific plants need acidic soil. Some readers recommend mixing the coffee grounds with eggshells.

Start a compost pile or add them to your compost pile 

Coffee grounds will help suppress any odors, too. Worms love coffee grounds, and worms help to break down ingredients in your compost pile. If you don’t want to add them straight, you can toss them into a brown paper bag first.

Stop refrigerator odors 

Coffee grounds act like baking soda in the fridge. Pour a cupful into a bowl, stick it on the top rack, and the grounds will absorb odors. This is great to do before you leave on vacation

Get rid of the burnt popcorn smell in the microwave

Add two tablespoons to a half cup of water and heat for a minute in the microwave. You may have to do it a few times, but it will get rid of that awful smell.

Make a body scrub

Once the grounds are dry and cool, you can pick up a handful and scrub it on your rough patches. you can also mix the grounds with some olive oil, which will act as a moisturizer. The coffee grounds are probably too rough for the face, so just stick to rough elbows and heels.

Add it to homemade soap

The coffee grounds make a great exfoliator and fragrance.

Make a marinade for steaks

Add ground coffee with a dash of soy sauce and a pinch of brown sugar to make a nice crust when seared.

Bonus Tips from Readers

Kate: I add leftover coffee to a Popsicle mold and freeze it for a cold treat later in the day. That sounds so good!

Jim: Put damp coffee grounds on top of your fireplace ashes to keep the dust down before you clean out the ashes.

Miriam: Turn your hydrangeas blue. Mix coffee grounds into the dirt around your hydrangea plants, and the acidity will turn the color to blue.

Lee: If you have icy sidewalks, you can dump coffee grounds to help with traction.

Ramon – Dip a Q-tip into wet coffee grounds and go over wood scratches.

What other uses do you have to share for leftover coffee and coffee grounds? We welcome your tips and would be glad to add them to our master list of 20 Genius Uses for Your Leftover Coffee and Coffee Grounds.

Have you found any uses for empty K-Cups? Can you recycle them?

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