Use Coffee Grounds To Clean Your Pots And Pans
Coffee grounds have multiple benefits beyond giving your brain a jolt in the morning. When caring for your cherished pots and pans, especially heirloom cast iron pieces, using coffee grounds as a cleaning agent can help maintain their quality. Their natural abrasive texture effectively removes stubborn food residue without the need for harsh chemicals. It is considered an eco-friendly and budget-savvy way to protect your kitchenware.
Additionally, repurposing spent coffee grounds can have multiple benefits around the home. They can degrease kitchen surfaces, serve as a natural deodorizer or fragrance enhancer, and provide a nutrient boost to your houseplants when added to the soil. Instead of discarding coffee grounds after brewing your morning coffee, consider incorporating them into your everyday cleaning routine. You'll not only help reduce waste and minimize your carbon footprint, but you'll be living a more eco-aware and sustainable lifestyle.
Using spent grounds on pots and pans
When you hold a handful of coffee grounds, you'll quickly notice they're pretty coarse, even on the finest grind. These tiny granules possess enough sharpness to substitute for sandpaper, making them suitable for various applications, including polishing a stainless steel pot. To effectively clean your pots and pans, simply mix 2 to 3 teaspoons of ground coffee with warm, soapy water and use a soft sponge to scrub the surfaces until they are clean. Because of its acidic nature, coffee grounds also work as a natural degreaser.
It can be challenging to remove stubborn burnt-on food on pots and pans. This is especially the case with cooking utensils that have a non-stick finish. Create a mixture using approximately 2 to 3 teaspoons of leftover coffee grounds, warm soapy water, and stir it well. Then use a soft sponge or brush to scrub the pan with this mixture.
Other uses for coffee grounds
There are more than a few good uses for coffee grounds besides using them on pots and pans. Because they contain antibacterial and antiviral properties, coffee grounds might also sanitize surfaces. If you like to avoid cleaning with chemicals, you can create an eco and budget-friendly surface cleaner by mixing used grounds with soapy water. Use this concoction to scour your non-porcelain sinks (stainless steel, concrete, and cast iron). Be careful not to use them on any porous material because they'll leave a nasty brown stain. To clean your grill with coffee grounds, sprinkle dry grounds on the grates, scrub, wipe away the residue and rinse thoroughly. Be sure that it's 100% dry to prevent rusting.
Coffee grounds generally have a very porous nature, making them ideal for odor control. Place a bowl or container filled with spent grounds where unpleasant smells linger, like refrigerators, closets, or in shoes. Alternately, fill a paper coffee filter with dried spent grounds, add a few drops of essential oil, and tie it off. Place these little fragrant sachets inside your shoes, in your car, refrigerator, or in other areas prone to funky odors.
Coffee grounds can also help lower your soil's pH and provide nitrogen. Sprinkle grounds directly into the soil around your plants, particularly those that prefer acidic conditions.