15 Alternative Uses for Coffee Filters

Tea Bags. Wrap loose leaf tea in a filter, then secure and suspend from a piece of string.

Line potted plants. Put a used coffee filter in the bottom of planters to prevent fine dirt particles from falling through the bottom.

Help little hands stay clean. Though adults should be responsible and not rely on disposable dinnerware, sometimes a coffee filter is the perfect size to contain finger foods (and protect carpet or clothing) in young hands. Try shove a popsicle stick through a filter to catch cold, sticky drips.

Embroidering. Use a coffee filter as an easy-to-tear backing for embroidering soft fabrics.

 When making soups or sauces. Tie up flavorful, but unedible, ingredients- such as bay leafs, cinnamon sticks, woody herb stems – in a coffee filter and float while cooking for easy removal. The French call this a bouquet garni.

As a coffee filter. Coffee filters can be reused four or five times. One the pot is full, empty the grounds and reuse, then rinse the filter and let it dry, and it’ll be ready the next morning.

Save a bottle of wine. If your cork accidentally breaks when opening a bottle, wrap a filter around the top to strain any particles. Use a piece of ribbon, and it looks nicer than you’d think.

Protect Cast Iron. Place a coffee filter in cast iron cookware to absorb excess moisture and prevent rust.

 Strain bacon drippings. While hot, pour bacon drippings through a coffee filter into a ceramic bowl or mug. The brown bits, grains, and other nasties stay in the filter. Also works well for frying oil.

Prevent microwave splatters. Place on top of leftovers when microwaving to prevent messes. Wash and dry, and reuse every time you microwave.

Soften lights when taking indoor photos. Put a coffee filter over lights, lamps, or even your flash to lessen the harshness of direct light.

Create faux flowers. Dip coffee filters in colored water, and allow them to slurp up the tint. (Alternatively, wet them and color with markers). Let them dry, then cut in petal shapes. Arrange and wrap around a bamboo skewer or pipe cleaner, and secure. Great for kids, and tongue-in-check for adults.

Prevent cookware and china from scratching. Place a coffee filter between china when stacking to protect the surface, or use between non-stick cookware when storing.

Measuring cups for dry ingredients. Use coffee filters to hold pre-measured dry ingredients when baking or creating a fast-cooking recipe (like a stir-fry or pad thai). Then dust them off, and REUSE.

Reusable dusting rags. Wipe soft surfaces – like glass TV screens or mirrors – with a coffee filter to grab the dust. Rinse and let dry, and reuse.

Note: Coffee filters are paper products, and shouldn’t be used wastefully. Most of the time, they can be rinsed and continually reused for similar purposes. Common tricks, like using coffee filters as bowls for snacks and chips, should be avoided in favor of solid, washable serving vessels.

Top 10 Uses For Used Coffee Grounds

 

10. Deodorizer. Dry them out on a cookie sheet and then put them in a bowl in your refrigerator or freezer, or rub them on your hands to get rid of food prep smells.

9. Plant food. Plants such as rosebushes, azaleas, rhododendrons, evergreen and camellias that prefer acidic soils will appreciate the leftovers from your morning cup. Also, grounds can add nutrients to your compost bin.

8. Insect repellant. Sprinkle old grounds around places you don’t want ants, or on the ant piles themselves. The little buggers will move on or stay away. Used grounds are also said to repel snails and slugs.

7. Dye. By steeping grounds in hot water, you can make brown dye for fabric, paper and even Easter eggs.

6. Furniture scratch cover-up. Steep grounds and apply a bit of the liquid to furniture scratches with a Q-tip.

5. Cleaning product. As they’re slightly abrasive, grounds can be used as a scouring agent for greasy and grimy stain-resistant objects.

4. Kitty repellent. To keep kitty from using the garden as her personal powder room, sprinkle grounds mixed with orange peels around your plants.

3. Boost your carrot harvest. Mixing fresh grounds with the tiny seeds makes them easier to sow and may repel root maggots and other wee beasties.

2. Dust inhibitor. Before you clean out the fireplace, toss wet coffee grounds over the ashes to keep the ash dust under control.

And, finally, the #1 use for used coffee grounds....drum roll here....

Cellulite reducer. I kid you not.  We're supposed to mix 1/4 cup warm, used coffee grounds with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then, while standing over an old towel or newspaper, we're to apply the mixture to our "problem areas". Next, wrap the areas with shrink wrap and leave on for several minutes. Unwind the wrap, brush loose grounds off our skin and then shower with warm water. For best results, it is recommended to repeat this procedure twice a week. A little weird to be sure, but as high priced cellulite creams actually have coffee in them, it just might work.

For even more uses of spent coffee grounds, visit cocoajava.com, essortment.com, rd.com and finally, mrsomalleys.com, who, if #1 works, should not have one jot of cellulite on her thighs. And if you have any secret uses for your used grounds, please share!

(Coffee magnet pictured above available through AllPosters.com)