It doesn’t matter what form you prefer to enjoy your coffee in: iced, hot, with milk, with cream and sugar, with caramel on top, the list goes on. Instead of dumping that valuable leftover coffee down the drain and throwing out the grounds, put them to better use:

1. Compost

Coffee grounds add acidity to your compost pile and may also attract worms and repel pests. Remember that you want to keep the ratio of green matter and brown matter equal and coffee counts as green matter.

2. Fertilizer

Coffee grounds have two of the three major components of fertilizer: nitrogen and potassium. Since you also need phosphorus and calcium, you’ll need to add some lime or wood ash to your mix.

3. Barter

Coffee is going to be a great barter item if SHTF even for a little while.

4. Get Rid of Odors

Whether it’s in your refrigerator or freezer or on your hands, coffee grounds are great for getting rid of gross smells.

If the odor is on your hands, you can get rid of it by rubbing some coffee grounds in your hands like sand, then wet them a bit and keep rubbing.

5. Scrub Dishes, Pots and Pans

Coffee grounds are abrasive and if you’re out of scouring pads or are on the run but don’t have access to your standard cleaners, coffee grounds are great to use to scrub grease and grime off.

6. Grow and Rescue Your Carrots

If you rub your seeds in coffee grounds and add some grounds to your soil when you plant the seeds, you’ll be accomplishing two things at once.

First, you’ll help your carrots grow.

Also, underground critters that may want to gnaw on them before you’re ready to often don’t care much for coffee.

7. Save your plants

Sprinkling some coffee grounds around your plants will keep pests such as harmful insects away. Ants and slugs are particularly averse to coffee grounds.

Just be careful doing this around plants that prefer a more alkaline soil because when it rains, that coffee is going to filter down through your soil. This is great for those acid-loving plants.

8. Make Rejuvenating Soap

They act to exfoliate dead skin cells and the caffeine in the coffee can actually be absorbed through your skin.

Storing Coffee for Long-Term Stockpiling

Just like everything, it will probably taste better longer if you store beans, but are you absolutely positive that you’re going to have a way to grind them?

Also, if you have to run, you’re probably not going to be able to grind your own beans on the trail.

The National Coffee Association says that the commercial containers that your coffee comes in aren’t ideal for long term storage but they don’t say why.

They do say that coffee should be stored in an airtight container in a cool dry place.

Be careful with where you store your coffee; in a cabinet by the stove is definitely too warm as is a cabinet that gets direct sunlight. Your best bet would be in a pantry, basement or storage closet.

Have you tried recycling coffee in any of the above ways? Let us know if there are other uses for it!

Article Source: Bio Prepper