Ellen Phillips Who among us doesn’t delight in the smell and taste of the morning’s first cup of coffee? In fact, out of all my own buddies, only three aren’t coffee-drinkers and, boy, are they missing a treat. My morning routine is much more than a repetitive job; my coffee, recliner, and the newspaper are a trio to kickstart my day in an enjoyable mood. Many coffee lovers now use a Keurig for a quick and easy jolt, while others stick with an old-fashion pot. For the latter, rather than throwing the grounds in the trash, take note of the following 10 tricks to make these leftovers into surprising rewards:
I come from a long line of fishermen/women/children. My dad scouted out the best farm-fed ponds in Butler County, Alabama and our family would load up lawn chairs, coolers, sandwiches and snacks, along with fancy poles and the old-fashion cane ones for us kiddos. By 5 a.m., we were perched on a riverbank (starting early in that hot-as-hades, Lower Alabama summer), gingerly picking up worms or – in Daddy’s case – crickets or fat Catawba caterpillars. If readers need to breed your own bait, mix coffee grounds in a bed, along with other food recyclables or even aged horse manure.
Try dropping some grounds down the kitchen sink for fresher smells. Or dry the grounds on a large cookie sheet, then put them in a bowl to neutralize odors in the freezer and ‘fridge. Cheaper than baking soda for sure!
If your pest control service doesn’t rid your house of all the creepy-crawlies, save yourself the company’s fee and use used grounds instead. Grab a jar and fill it with about two inches of moist grounds; then line the jar’s neck with super sticky, double-sided tape. Gross, nasty roaches will race to that delectable (to them) smell, but the tape will do the trick before Cocky Cockroach can taste a morsel. Sprinkling non-moistened grounds around ant sightings or even on their anthills incentivizes these critters, along with slugs and snails, to run for the hills. Truly, the smell repulses the insects, but be sure to replace the grounds in the house every day.
Onions, anyone? Many of us love the taste but hate the smell on our hands. Grab a handful of grounds, rub like it’s soap subs, rinse with warm water, and voila! No more unpleasant odor.
Fertilize plants with grounds, using it as mulch, especially for acid-loving plants like roses, hydrangeas and camellias.
Make stainless steel sinks shine by scrubbing the bottom and sides of the sink for a spectacular sheen.
After you give your dog a bath, rub one or two cups of the coffee ground into his fur then rinse it well. It makes for silky fur with the added plus of killing Fido’s fleas. If, instead, you’re a cat owner and tired of Kitty using your garden as a bathroom, mix the grounds with chopped orange peels, then sprinkle them generously on your flower beds and garden.
And, finally, for those chocolate-lovers out there, add brewed coffee or instant coffee granules to intensify the flavor of chocolate cakes. Additionally, by adding one tablespoon to meat marinade, it not only tenderizes the meat but also gives it an extra mild smoky flavor.
Obviously, we savvy consumers can recycle used coffee grounds for other smart applications. Check online for more bonus ideas.
Contact Ellen Phillips at consumerwatch@timesfreepress.com.