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Keep Your Fridge Smelling Fresh With Coffee Grounds
By MICHELLE ROBERTS-GARCIA
Instead of throwing out your coffee grounds after use, put them in the fridge to combat accumulated smells, since they neutralize odors in an eco-friendly way.
Nitrogen is a key component in coffee, or more specifically the caffeine in the grounds, and it helps give carbon a boost that dispels really strong smells.
A study to mitigate sewer stenches in New York used coffee grounds to quell the intense fumes, with nitrogen acting as a supercharger for the carbon that was present in the sewer.
The nitrogen and carbon worked together to negate the sulfur smell produced by the sewers. If the grounds can help in a New York sewer, they can diminish odors in your fridge.
The easiest way to incorporate this hack is to spread your leftover coffee grounds on a clean baking sheet to dry out, which makes them more proficient at absorbing smells.
After the coffee grounds have released all of the moisture they were holding, throw the dried grounds into a cup, bowl, or jar and leave it open so the grounds can do their thing.
If you’re worried about a mess, place a cover over the grounds with holes punctured in it. This will reduce the risk of a spill while the coffee grounds absorb the foul scents.
To maintain a fresh refrigerator, swap the grounds out every few weeks or once a month. If you make coffee regularly, save the grounds until they’re needed for a fresh batch.