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You are here: Home / Save / Frugal Tips / Household Tips: 31 Unusual Uses for Coffee (WWII Series)

Household Tips: 31 Unusual Uses for Coffee (WWII Series)

December 23, 2013 By Robin 3 Comments

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Coffee is a big part of my of my life, my day doesn’t start until I’ve had that first cup. You ask me a question before I’ve downed my first cup and the best response that you’ll probably get is a grunt or maybe a groan. Coffee was a big part of my grandmother’s life too. Not because she couldn’t function without it, like me, but because she couldn’t frugally run her home without it. I remember her frugal living tips journal containing a huge list of uses for coffee. I can’t recall specifically what was on her list, but my family and I were able to come up with some uses for coffee that were surely on that list.

 

Household Tips
Picture from: Country Scrap

I’m amazed that coffee hasn’t made it into the medical journals as a life saving elixir. My kids would definitely agree that it has saved their lives on more than one occasion.

Health
Always consult a doctor before using coffee as a treatment.

  1. Breath – to freshen, chew on a coffee bean.
  2. Headache – to treat, drink a cup of coffee that contains
    caffeine.
Beauty
  1. Cellulite – to reduce the appearance, apply a mixture of
    warm, used coffee grounds and olive oil to your skin. Rub it in using a circular
    motion and rinse. Repeat daily.
  2. Hair – to add shine, apply a pot of cooled, strong brewed coffee
    to clean, dry hair. Let it do it do its magic for 20-30 minutes before rinsing. Repeat once a week.
  3. Hair – to soften, mix coffee grounds with your shampoo.
  4. Hair – to temporarily dye, apply a pot of cooled,
    strong-brewed coffee to clean, dry hair. Let it sit for 20-30 minutes before
    rinsing.
  5. Hands – to remove smells, rub your hands with used coffee
    grounds. Rinse.
  6. Skin – to exfoliate, scrub your skin with a mixture of equal
    parts ground coffee and olive oil. Rinse.
  7. Skin – to minimize wrinkles, scrub your skin with a mixture
    of coffee grounds and pure pineapple juice.
  8. Skin – to tighten, scrub your skin with a mixture of equal
    parts ground coffee and olive oil.
Cleaning
  1. Air Freshener – to make your own, pour fresh coffee grounds
    into the leg of a pantyhose. Tie a knot and hang.
  2. Air Freshener – to make your own, toast some coffee beans in
    a skillet until the oils are released. Place them in a decorative dish.
  3. Cleaning Abrasive – to make your own, mix used coffee
    grounds with a little dish soap.
  4. Drains – to remove odors, pour a cup of coffee grounds into
    the drain followed by a pot of boiling water.
  5. Fireplace – to minimize dust when cleaning, let the embers cool and then
    sprinkle them with used, damp coffee grounds. Let the ground sit for about
    15-20 minutes before scooping out the ashes.
  6. Furniture – to hide scratches, wipe the area with a paste
    made from instant coffee and water.
  7. Garbage Disposal – to remove odors, pour a cup of coffee
    grounds into the garbage disposal and let it sit for 30-40 minutes. Flush with
    hot water while running the garbage disposal.
  8. Refrigerator – to absorb odors, place a bowl of unused
    coffee grounds in the fridge for a couple of days.

Miscellaneous

  1. Ants – to kill the mound, pour a pot of hot brewed coffee inside.
  2. Ants – to repel, sprinkle dry, used coffee grounds around
    the area that you see ants.
  3. Cats – to keep out of your garden, sprinkle soil with a mixture
    of used coffee grounds and orange peels.
  4. Dogs – to repel fleas, rub damp, used coffee grounds on your
    dogs coat after bathing.
  5. Eggs – to dye, soak the eggs in a cup of strong brewed
    coffee until you reach the desired color.
  6. Fabric – to dye, soak fabric in hot coffee until you reach
    the desired color.
  7. House Plants – to fertilize, water with diluted coffee.
  8. House Plants – to remedy yellowing, sprinkle the soil with a
    mixture made from equal parts coffee grounds and sugar.
  9. Meat – to tenderize, marinade meat in freshly brewed coffee.
  10. Paper – to dye, apply strong brewed coffee to paper using a
    paint brush and let it dry.
  11. Pin Cushion – to make your own, tie up some dry, used coffee
    grounds in a piece of fabric. This also keeps your pins from rusting.
  12. Plants – to fertilize acidic plants, sprinkle used coffee
    grounds around the base of the plant. Repeat monthly.
  13. Slugs – to repel, sprinkle your garden with used coffee
    grounds.

 

Do you have any household tips for coffee?
* If, by some small miracle, you worked at Amway in Ada, MI in the 1980’s and were the person my mother loaned the notebook to, please Contact Me. The notebook is a small (aprox. 6″x9″) black leather, 3-ring binder, and contains hand drawn patterns (teddy bear), recipes and household tips and tricks. It would mean so much to my family to have it back.

Filed Under: Frugal Tips, Save, WWII Series Tagged With: how to, two cents'

Comments

  1. amy mayen says

    December 23, 2013 at 6:45 pm

    We throw ours out in the garden in summertime. I knew it was good for soil but had no idea about slugs!

    Reply
  2. Kathe says

    December 23, 2013 at 8:28 pm

    Awesome list! And yes I agree! Coffee is truly a lifesaver LOL!

    Reply
  3. Stephanie Jackson says

    December 26, 2013 at 1:44 pm

    I will have to use the fireplace tip. We already drink it, bake with it, flavor foods, and compost it.

    Reply

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