More grounds for drinking coffee!

As long as you don't over-indulge on the caffeine, there are some good reasons here for drinking a bit of coffee, as we have some top tips for using up your coffee grounds.

Use it to fertilise your plants
Coffee is full of nutrients and especially benefits plants that like acid soil: roses, evergreens, camellias, rhododendrons, azaleas and witch hazel. Otherwise if you want to add nutrients for other plants, just add the grounds to your compost heap.

Clean the fireplace
The old trick of sprinkling water on ashes works even better with coffee as you have the additional benefit of a pleasant smell. Just shake your wet grounds over the ashes in the grate before you sweep it out. It will be easier to gather the ash and the dust won't spread all round the room and give you a coughing fit!

Deodorise the fridge or freezer
Whilst most of us know that bicarbonate of soda is great for absorbing smells, if you get a really bad smell then some drastic additional action is needed to mask the smell as well as absorb it. Workmen finishing off a job at my house, switched my fridge freezer off by mistake when I was away and I came home to the worst stench imaginable. A couple of bowls of coffee grounds finally did the trick for me - and drinking the coffee to produce the grounds helped calm my temper!

Make an anti-cellulte body scrub
Anne Caborn's wonderful body scrub made from coffee grounds can help you tackle that cellulite. You can use her easy recipe before you jump in the shower.
>> Find this and other great home-made pampering tips in her piece on our website.

>> See also Weird and Wonderful Ways to Nourish your Garden - this was based on suggestions from our Twitter community.

If you have any other ideas for using your old grounds please let us know.