Did you know there are various ways to recycle your coffee grinds?
This blog is a follow up to the last two Yoga Off the Mat posts, which explored coffee production and brewing. So, how can we reuse those grinds?
1. In the Garden
Composting: Coffee is an excellent way to enrich the nutrient content of your compost. Grounds contain nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur. In addition to this, worms thrive after ingesting coffee. I imagine it gives them some kind of jolt.
Fertilizer: As mentioned, coffee is rich in nutrients. Sprinkle grinds directly around the base of plants indoors or out.
2. Coffee as Skin Care
Body scrub: Coffee can reinvigorate and exfoliate dead skin cells. With a pH equal to that of our skin, it acts as a balancing astringent. Caffeine is also believed to have a tightening effect on blood vessels, which can temporarily make your skin look smoother and reduce the appearance of cellulite. In fact, many anticellulite creams actually contain generous amounts of caffeine.
Coincidentally, I used my first coffee scrub just before heading to Jamaica. My awesome neighbor prepared something similar to this Whole Living recipe. It was refreshing and exfoliating!
3. Crafting
Dying paper: As a child, I used to love using coffee and tea to stain paper. It was perfect for making “ancient” maps, for example. Give paper some flare with your old grinds.
Staining wood: I’ll be honest in saying the only wood staining I’ve done with coffee has been accidental.… Supposedly, it can be a great coloring agent for projects involving lumber.
4. Kitchen
Odor absorber: Like baking soda, coffee grinds absorb odor. Store a small, aerated container of used grinds in the fridge or cabinets.
Scent remover: Rubbing your hands with used coffee grounds will remove strong smells such as onion, garlic, or fish.
Grease buster: Grounds can be used as a scourer for greasy pots and pans.
Yoga brings stability and calm into every discipline of Sophie Herbert's life. She is an alignment focused yoga teacher (and perpetual student) and a Whole Living contributing editor. She graduated from the Cooper Union School of Art, where she nurtured her passion for documentary photography. It was during this time that she began her disciplined and diverse study of yoga in New York, Paris, and India.
Sophie has lived, studied, and volunteered extensively in India. She feels grateful to still visit and work regularly with the Deenabandhu Children's Home in Chamarajanagar, Karnataka. In November of 2010, she became an ambassador for Yoga Gives Back www.yogagivesback.org, a grass-roots nonprofit that helps destitute women and girls in India build more sustainable lives. Sophie has also shared her knowledge of yoga at the Prana Yoga Center in Astana, Kazakhstan. Currently, she teaches at the Park Slope Yoga Center www.parkslopeyoga.com in Brooklyn and privately. Sophie is also an avid cook.
From: Angela Noble | 4/6/12 at 7:18 pm
It goes without saying, if you want to learn about coffee, you go to the source of the greatest coffee beans on planet earth - Jamaica Blue Mountains!
From: Sophie | 4/9/12 at 9:47 am
Definitely, Angela!! The Blue Mountains are amazing!
From: Shanna | 4/11/12 at 12:12 am
Thanks for the great ideas! I hate throwing out all those coffee grinds every morning and have some new leaves sprouting up in the herb garden. A perfect match!