what to do with expired unused coffee grounds

Can I Use Expired Coffee Beans? What to Do with Expired Unused Coffee Grounds?

If you find your coffee has expired, what do you do with it? The obvious and commonest thing is people toss it away into the garbage bins. However, there are many ways you can use it. 

Before discovering alternative ways of using expired coffee, I also used to throw it away. But what to do with expired unused coffee grounds? The following are 10 ways to use expired coffee.

Are used coffee grounds good for anything? 10 best alternative uses 

The unused and expired coffee is still valuable, and you can use it in the following ways. 

1. Make skin exfoliating scrub 

Exfoliating dead skin cells offer the body a chance to rejuvenate and relax. When you have expired ground coffee, it’s a perfect ingredient to make an exfoliation scrub. The coarse nature of the grounds makes the coffee perfect for removing dead cells. 

Mixing the grounds with honey and coconut oil or honey makes a perfect scrub. Also, the caffeine in coffee possesses potent antioxidant properties. 

2. Create a natural dye 

If you love crafting, coffee is a perfect way to make natural dye for your fabrics. The dye from coffee is fantastic for giving your cotton, rayon, paper and linen. Especially the unique vintage color gives your material an exquisite look. Besides, the dye is also great for giving your hair a deep dark color 

3. Coffee scented candles

If you love scented coffee with coffee essence, you can make them at home. It’s an easy process since the coffee only needs to be finely grounded. Once the powder is ready, I mix it with molten wax before molding the candles. The coffee scent is always breathtaking. 

4. Plant fertilizer? 

Unused coffee grounds for plants is a common practice among some people. It might sound unreal, but coffee has different acids that benefit plants. Also, the acid in coffee beans encourages beneficial worms in soils. 

Apart from sprinkling ground coffee into plants, it’s also ideal when composting. They are rich in organic matter, which improves soil fertility

5. Use it to repel pests 

Wondering what to do with expired coffee beans? Ground coffee is a powerful organic insecticide. Coffee grounds have powerful insect repelling ability due to the presence of acids, caffeine and strong scent. It can repel ants, snails and slugs. Also, coffee repels cats from sleeping on flowerbeds. 

Coffee and orange soap

6. Make coffee-scented soap 

I love making soaps, and having different scents is impressive. Coffee-scented soap is one of my favorites. Therefore, you can also enjoy coffee soap; instead of disposing of, you can also make soap. The soap offers a refreshing experience. Caffeine and other nutrients make coffee soap a better option than regular soaps. 

7. Create a dry rub

When roasting meat, it is ideal to have a dry rub. Expired coffee is not harmful apart from the deteriorated flavor. Therefore, if you have unused coffee, it’s perfect for formulating a dry rub. Usually, to create this product, use ground coffee, brown sugar, paprika, garlic, cardamom, chili powder and other spices. A dry rub gives your meat a fantastic flavor and texture. 

8. Great for eliminating fleas in pets 

Keeping pets free from fleas and other pests can be tricky. Most people use chemicals-based pesticides, which can have unwanted effects on the pet’s skin. However, it’s now possible to stay away from the chemicals. All you need is ground coffee

The use of coffee is not new since it has a strong scent that helps keep away fleas. Application process is simple; you only need to rub coffee grounds into the pet’s skin after shampooing. However, coffee grounds might be less potent than chemical products, but it’s still effective in repelling fleas. 

9. Use it to eliminate awful odors 

Does your house have an unwanted smell, and you are out of air freshener? There are no more struggles to live with the smells. The good thing is you can use expired coffee to freshen the air. 

 To use coffee as an air freshener, put the ground beans in small permeable bags. The nitrogen in coffee combines with carbon to neutralize Sulphur in the air. 

10. Natural pan scouring agent 

 Pans and other cooking pots can sometimes be a headache to clean. They require scouring gauze. Out of the cleaning scourers? Your ground coffee is a perfect alternative when you need to clean your pots. The coffee grounds are effective in cleaning pans. The abrasive nature of coffee grounds makes them ideal for the job. 

Final words

If you have expired coffee beans, they are still of great use. With proven alternative uses, there is no need to toss them in the garbage bins. The coffee grounds are superb whether you want to use them as fertilizers, pan cleaners or others. Suppose you ask me what to do with unused coffee grounds; there is a  lot to do with these coffee grounds.   

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