You’ve had your morning cup of joe, but now you’re left with all these coffee grounds. Don’t want to throw them out? Don’t worry! We’ve found some creative ways to stay grounded with your grounds.

Each of the options below is an activity that can be a form of self-care. Self-care is an important tool to help make sure we’re giving ourselves the attention we deserve. Effective self-care can be a way to stay grounded no matter what life throws at you. 

Gardening

Whether you have a full backyard oasis or a humble windowsill to house your plants, flexing your green thumb can be a great form of self-care. Plants keep our air a little cleaner plus they’re simply nice to look at. Just as it’s important to care for yourself, you have to look after your plants — and sometimes they need more than a splash of water. 

When your plants are in need of a little extra love, why not reuse those old coffee grounds! Coffee grounds can be used to fertilize plants either by directly sprinkling them into the soil or tossing them in the compost bin.

Coffee grounds contain nutrients that are beneficial to plants, most notably nitrogen. Over time, the natural levels of nitrogen in the soil can deplete as the plant absorbs the nutrients. Because of this, it’s important to replenish those nutrients every once in a while. So put those grounds in the ground and your plants might thank you!

More information about coffee grounds and gardening can be found here.

Skincare

A reliable skincare routine makes for a wonderful self-care activity. Not only is it a way to care for your physical health, but the routine itself can be relaxing or meditative. But if you’re looking to add a little pizazz to your skincare routine, look no further than those coffee grounds from this morning’s brew.

Coffee grounds make for a perfect natural exfoliator as they’re not too abrasive and they don’t dissolve in water. With just a bit of coffee grounds, brown sugar, coconut oil, and vanilla, you can make your own face and body scrub. Detailed instructions can be found here.

DIY Tie-Dye

Many of us may have a pile of clothes in the back of the closet we simply ignore thinking “I’ll wear it again eventually.” Well, the time has come to bring new life to those forgotten fabrics.

You can use that leftover coffee and the grounds as a natural dye. If you’ve ever spilled your latte on a pristine, white shirt, no need to panic, just lean into it! By soaking the white fabric in hot coffee, you can dye it a nice neutral tan or brown. The roast of the coffee will affect how dark or light the dye is — a darker roast resulting in a darker dye.

We haven’t forgotten about those grounds! By scattering and rubbing the grounds into the wet fabric, you can create fun patterns and varied areas of color. This can also be done multiple times to layer the effect.

Directions for dyeing with coffee can be found here.

Cleaning

Spring cleaning time! Cleaning may not be the most fun self-care activity, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile. Don’t underestimate the value of having a clean space to live, work, and rest.

Let’s put those grounds to work!

Coffee is known for its amazing aroma, but those grounds can also be used to eliminate unwanted odors. A bowl of grounds in the back of the fridge or a sock filled with grounds in a gym bag can leave your place smelling fresher in no time.

For the same reason coffee grounds make for a great exfoliator, their grit can help scrub hard-to-clean surfaces. Just a spoonful of grounds and a cloth can help remove stuck-on grease stains from pots and pans. Be careful not to scrub the grounds into any porous materials as it could stain.

More ideas for cleaning with grounds can be found here.

This list encompasses a few ways to practice self-care with old coffee grounds, giving new life and purpose to something that would otherwise be discarded. We hope you can use this as a starting point to discover your own creative self-care activities. 

Everyone’s self-care journey will look different, so find what works for you! And remember, despite the things you’ve been through, IT’S OK NOT TO BE OK.