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The Surprising Uses of Residual Waste from Beverages for Household Cleaning

Many families are discarding this waste on a daily basis without realizing the sheer wastefulness of it all.

2 March, 2024

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Cleaning, sanitizing, or scrubbing household items is considered one of the essential tasks that needs to be done daily in every home. Typically, this task will be performed with specialized tools and cleaning agents.

However, in reality, without the need for chemical cleansers, some ingredients available in the home that are safe and friendly, with a more pleasant fragrance, can be utilized. Some notable names can be mentioned such as vinegar, baking soda, fresh lemon, or eucalyptus oil… There is one more type that very few people know can be helpful in cleaning and tidying up the house. That is coffee grounds.

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What are coffee grounds?

Coffee grounds are the leftover residue of coffee powder, after humans have used and processed it to obtain pure coffee. The color of coffee grounds depends on the type of coffee the user is using. It could be black, dark brown, light brown, or brown with a slight yellowish tinge.

Typically, for those who do not know the applications of coffee grounds, they will discard them immediately after obtaining the coffee for consumption. However, keeping coffee grounds is highly useful. Among them, the most commonly applied method is in cleaning and deodorizing.

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Applications of coffee grounds in house cleaning

Deodorizing

First and foremost, and perhaps the easiest to apply, is using coffee grounds to deodorize houses, places, areas indoors, or even objects. The way to do this is for users to directly add a certain amount of coffee grounds to the item/place that needs to be deodorized, or place it in a bowl, cup, or dish. Leave it for a few hours, and the unpleasant smell will be resolved by the faint aroma of coffee grounds.

According to Healthline, this effect is obtained because coffee grounds contain nitrogen, which helps remove sulfur gas to remove foul odors from the air when combined with carbon. In other words, coffee grounds can absorb, thereby eliminating odors.

With more specific objects or areas such as in cars, wardrobes, shoes, users can also dry the coffee grounds, then put them into small bags. This method can help coffee grounds last longer, providing a light aroma without affecting the surrounding space.

Coffee grounds can be poured directly or put into small bags, placed in the area that needs deodorizing (Illustrative image)

Many users have applied coffee grounds for deodorizing and reviewed that it is very effective. For example, the situation of the user account named Babykopo Home, living in Ho Chi Minh City as follows. When they discovered that the refrigerator storing fresh groceries had been accidentally unplugged, the unpleasant smell from spoiled food quickly spread throughout the house. The family used coffee grounds to handle it.

According to the owner’s sharing, she cleaned the refrigerator and put a large amount of coffee grounds inside the device. Other areas in the house she also boiled coffee grounds to quickly spread the fragrance, deodorizing faster.

Users use coffee grounds to deodorize the refrigerator and the entire house (Babykopo Home Image)

Cleaning and sanitizing some objects

In addition to deodorizing, coffee grounds are also recommended to be used as a cleaning and sanitizing agent, suitable for some objects. Because the antimicrobial properties of coffee grounds are also highly appreciated, it helps disinfect and clean objects. Users can apply coffee grounds to clean kitchen utensils such as pots, metal pans, surfaces of objects such as microwaves, ovens, electric stoves, or knives and chopping boards…

First with pots and pans, after a long period of use, it cannot be avoided that they will become old-looking and accumulate many stains, stubborn dirt, and even black burn marks. At this time, users combine coffee grounds with specialized dishwashing liquid to treat it by mixing the 2 ingredients together. The presence of coffee grounds will soften the dirt faster, thereby users do not need to apply too much force to scrub, limiting damage to the non-stick layer of pots and pans.

Coffee grounds can be used to scrub pots, pans, or some other kitchen utensils (Illustrative image)

Similarly, when cleaning other objects, depending on the amount of dirt, users should adjust the amount of coffee grounds used accordingly. And after cleaning with coffee grounds, these objects should be wiped one last time with clean water.

Repair scratched wooden items

A utility that few people know, and even surprisedness of coffee grounds, is that coffee grounds can help repair scratched wooden items. Repair here means when these scratches will affect the aesthetics of the item or the entire space. Coffee grounds will solve that problem.

The way to do this is for users to use wet coffee grounds, apply them to the scratches on wooden objects. Then proceed to rub so that the coffee grounds are evenly distributed on the surface of the scratch. Finally, let it dry naturally and use a soft cloth to wipe it clean. The scratches will fade to some extent.

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In addition to the 3 applications in cleaning houses mentioned above, users can also apply coffee grounds to:

– Use as fertilizer for plants and insect repellent because coffee grounds contain some minerals such as nitrogen, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, or zinc…

– Pest control for pets by rubbing coffee grounds on the wet fur of pets, then bathing them clean.

– Tenderize meat because the ingredients of coffee grounds also contain natural enzymes and acids. Therefore, it has the effect of softening muscles and proteins.

– Application in caring for skin and hair.

Frequently asked questions

Coffee grounds can be placed directly on items or in areas that need odor removal, or they can be put in a bowl or dish and left for a few hours. The nitrogen in coffee grounds helps eliminate sulfur gas and neutralize foul odors. For specific objects or areas like cars, wardrobes, or shoes, drying and placing the grounds in small bags can provide long-lasting deodorizing effects without impacting the surrounding space.

Yes, a user named Babykopo Home from Ho Chi Minh City shared their experience. They used coffee grounds to eliminate the unpleasant smell from a refrigerator that had been unplugged, causing spoiled food. The grounds were placed inside the fridge and boiled to spread the coffee aroma and expedite deodorizing.

Yes, coffee grounds are recommended for cleaning and sanitizing certain objects due to their antimicrobial properties. They can be used to clean kitchen utensils like pots, pans, microwaves, ovens, electric stoves, knives, and chopping boards. When combined with dishwashing liquid, coffee grounds help soften stubborn dirt and stains, making it easier to clean without applying excessive force.

For pots and pans with accumulated stains, dirt, or burn marks, users can combine coffee grounds with specialized dishwashing liquid. The coffee grounds will help soften the dirt, making it easier to scrub without damaging the non-stick layer of the cookware.

Coffee grounds can be used to repair scratched wooden items. By applying wet coffee grounds to scratches and rubbing them in, the grounds will help camouflage the scratches and improve the aesthetics of the wooden surface.

Coffee grounds can be used as a natural fertilizer and insect repellent for plants due to their mineral content. They can also help control pests on pets by rubbing them onto wet fur before bathing. Additionally, they can tenderize meat due to their natural enzymes and acids, and they have applications in skin and hair care as well.