Since coffee grounds are wet after brewing the coffee, you may need to spread them on a baking sheet to dry before using them for some of these hacks. The one place you should never put coffee grounds is down the kitchen sink or garbage disposal. Soggy grounds are heavy and can clog a sink very quickly. Check out these 10 hacks for using coffee grounds instead. Once you have a nice, loamy pile of compost, add some earthworms for even quicker decomposition. They love the acidic quality of “coffee soil.” Or, you can make “coffee fertilizer” for watering. Steep two cups of grounds in a five-gallon bucket of water for six to 12 hours. Use this liquid fertilizer to water and feed your plants. This mixture works best for acid-loving plants like African violets, ferns, and hydrangeas. Most fabric dyed with coffee grounds is done by brewing the coffee to use as the dye bath. The darker the roasted beans, the darker the dye. If you plan ahead and want to do a large batch of dyeing, refrigerate or freeze grounds from your daily brewing until you have enough grounds for a large batch. Heat in boiling water, strain, and use the liquid for the dye bath. Another dyeing technique is to massage the coffee grounds into the fabric. Damp grounds will produce more color than very wet grounds. Make a paste of the grounds and smear it on the fabric. Allow the fabric to dry thoroughly with the grounds in place. Brush off the excess grounds when the fabric is completely dry. Just add coffee grounds to your favorite play clay recipes. Here’s an easy one:
2 cups all-purpose flour1/2 cup coffee grounds1 cup salt2 teaspoons cream of tartar1 cup boiling water2 tablespoons oil
Mix all of the ingredients well and allow the clay to sit for about an hour. If the color isn’t as dark as you’d like, add one tablespoon of instant coffee. Knead well and always store in a tightly covered container.
