Well, if you are wondering what to do with old coffee beans (ground beans), you have come to the right place!
Nearly every coffee lover has had old coffee beans laying around at some point. It is almost unavoidable if you always insist on brewing that perfect cup. You no longer want to make coffee out of them, as you know it is not likely going to be an enjoyable experience, but you also don’t want to throw them away – coffee beans can be expensive!
We are going to go through 10 awesome uses for those old beans to show you that coffee can be useful for much more than just brewing that delicious elixir of life (though this is still their best use, of course!).
Table of Contents
What To Do with Old Coffee Beans:
Whole Beans
You can do some fun things with your old coffee beans, no grinding required!
1. Four Words: Chocolate. Covered. Espresso. Beans.
Does this not just sound amazing? While you may not want to make coffee with those old beans, there is a good chance that they are still perfectly edible. You do not have to specifically make these with espresso beans, but a dark roasted bean of some sort is recommended to bring out the chocolate flavor.
All you need to do is melt some chocolate, stir in the beans, scoop them out, and let them dry on some parchment paper. Simple and delicious!
2. Get Crafty
What to do with old coffee beans? Turn it into art! Old coffee beans can be used to make some beautiful-looking décor for your home. You could do something as simple as putting them in candle holders and placing a candle or even a small plant on top. Or, if you want to get really creative, grab some glue and create a mosaic!
If you want even more inspiration, check out some other coffee bean crafts.
3. Brewing Experiments
Is there a new manual coffee-making method you have been wanting to try? Use your old coffee beans to practice so you can brew coffee just the way you like it with fresh coffee beans, especially with something like a French press or pour-over coffee maker. Those old beans may be the perfect excuse for you to experiment with different coffee brewing techniques and equipment, as you certainly won’t miss them if the coffee doesn’t turn out!
What To Do with Old Coffee Beans:
Ground Beans
You can use old coffee grounds or grind up those old beans for the following suggestions. Don’t have a grinder yet? Have a look at our list of the best budget coffee grinders.
4. Nourish Your Garden
Old coffee grounds can be a great addition to the compost for the soil in your garden. Ground coffee has a lot of minerals that can help plants grow – the extra nitrogen can be especially good for roses, hydrangeas, and camellias, as well as fruit plants like blueberry and cranberry. If you want to use coffee grounds as fertilizer in your garden, just dig a little around your plants and mix them in with the soil.
You can also attract worms to your garden using coffee grounds. They will not be put off by your old beans!
5. Pest Control
While worms may be attracted to coffee grounds, they have the opposite effect on some insects and other pests. There is support for the idea that caffeine can act as a natural pesticide, so coffee grounds can be useful for keeping fruit flies and mosquitos away from you, and even snails and slugs away from your plants.
To use coffee grounds to keep bugs away from you, put some in bowls around where you would usually spend time outside. For the garden, sprinkle the grounds around your plants to have them act as a barrier. Snails and slugs typically will not bother crossing over a barrier made of coffee grounds.
6. Eliminate Odors
Have a smelly fridge or gym bag? Try sticking some coffee grounds in there! If you are serious about how you store your coffee, you probably already know that it can easily absorb odors and moisture from the air. Now that you are not drinking it, use this to your advantage to help get rid of some of an unpleasant aroma around your place.
If you are using wet coffee grounds, you will need to dry them out first to activate their full, smell-absorbing power. Just put them in the oven at about 250 degrees and keep checking on them until they are dry. When they are done, you can put them in a bowl in your refrigerator or even pour them in some old socks and tie them closed to use as portable deodorizers.
7. Say Goodbye to Cellulite
Okay, well maybe it will not rid you of cellulite completely, but coffee may help reduce its appearance. When applied to the skin, caffeine can increase blood flow and help break down the fat deposits that cause the appearance of cellulite.
If you want to try this for yourself, try mixing up some coffee grounds with coconut oil or water and scrub it on any cellulite for about 10 minutes, twice a week.
8. Exfoliate Your Body
The coarse texture of coffee grounds can help make your skin cleaner and smoother by scrubbing away dirt and dead skin cells. Just mix in some dry coffee grounds with a little bit of coconut oil for a quick, easy, and natural scrub that will not cause you nearly as much as it would at the store.
9. Get Your House Squeaky Clean
The abrasive texture of coffee grounds can also be great for scrubbing sinks, grills, dishes, pots, pans, and more. This can be a great alternative to try for those who do not like to use chemical cleaners around the house.
To use coffee grounds for cleaning, simply sprinkle some on the surface to be cleaned and scrub away. Be careful not to use coffee grounds on any porous surfaces though, as they may cause stains. Speaking of which…
10. Need Some Brown Dye?
Every coffee lover knows how hard it can be to get a coffee stain out of something like a white shirt. You can use this to your advantage to get an inexpensive, all-natural brown dye using old coffee grounds.
Weak coffee should get you a lighter brown and strong coffee a darker brown. Just boil your brewed coffee, add your fabric, let it sit for about an hour, take it out, and rinse it with cold water until it runs clear. To set the color, put it in a vinegar bath for about 10 minutes. Done!
We hope our tips on what to do with old coffee beans helped you recycle old coffee beans. Do you have your own tips on what to do with old coffee beans? Share it with us in a comment below.
Pin Me!
