coffee grinds really have superpowers

More tips for using those grounds once you've slurped down that fair-trade latte...

From apartmentTherapy.com, use coffee grinds and a q-tip to buff out those nicks and dings on your furniture.

bleedingespresso.com suggests putting those grounds to work as a pest and ant repellent, closet deodorizer, and a dust deflector next time you go to clean out those ashes in your fireplace.

For the kiddies, myfamilylovesit.com uses them to make...playdough! Check it out.

you can even dye your hair with it

From the brilliant Apartment Therapy's cool little sister Re-nest, here's 11 uses for coffee grounds post-press:

1. Mix with water or soap to make your own exfoliating scrub to wash away dead skin cells.

2. Used as a scrub on your lower half it's said to minimize the appearance of cellulite.

3. What works for your face will also work for your kitchen counters (it may stain grout however)

4. Mix coffee grounds with egg whites to make a mask for your face. Slather it on and let it dry then rinse it off with water.

5. Rinse your pets with coffee grounds to help keep fleas away.

6. Sprinkle coffee grounds near cracks to keep ants at bay.

7. An open glass of coffee grounds absorbs odors in your refrigerator or freezer.

8. Pour them into a single sock or nylon, knot it. Use it to clear out odors from sneakers, your closet or your car.

9. Use them to scrub your hands after cutting onions or cleaning fish.

10. Work coffee grounds into your hair after you wash it instead of your regular conditioner to make it soft and shiny.

three things to do today

The problem: Each year, more than 1.5 billion disposable lighters end up in landfills or incinerators every year, according to Gillian Deacon's Green For Life. Lighter casings are made from petroleum-based plastic while the butane fluid is a petroleum product.

The solution: Use cardboard matches. They are made from recycled paper and decompose faster than lighters.


The problem: Around 9 billion ATM transactions occur each year in the U.S. and Canada, most of them spitting out receipts. That's a lot of unnecessary paper, considering after a quick look, it all inevitably gets balled up and pitched.

The solution: Instead, keep tabs over your transactions online. If 10,000 people decided to do that, together they'd save a roll of paper more than 460 metres long, according to The Ideal Bite, now part of Disney.


The problem: We know we need to reduce, but in our everyday lives the reality is that there are still things we need to buy, use and consume - which leaves us with leftover bits of food, old household items, and empty containers of all shapes and sizes all destined for landfill or resource-intensive recycling.

The solution: The brilliant team over at How Can I Recycle This? can show you what to do with squeezed toothpaste tubes, broken scissors, even those Ferrero Rocher boxes you got for Christmas (seed trays!).

beyond the shopping bag

Finally! reusable options for things we toss every day.

Sandwich Bags
snackTAXIs are a great alternative to plastic bags and wraps, especially when just one reusable bag has the potential to eliminate an average of 1000 plastic bags over its lifetime! snackTAXIs are lined with coated nylon, and can be machine washed and dried, or simply wiped clean with a damp sponge.

Chopsticks
bambu's snapstix are made from organic bamboo and they're chopsticks and a chopstick rest all in one snap. Both the snapstix and the rest pop back into the cheerfully designed sleeve for easy storage.

Tampons
Jade & Pearl's 'Sea Pearls' are sea sponge tampons containing no dioxin or synthetic fibers. Sustainably harvested and reusable for three to six months or more, Sea Pearls are economical, easy to use, and earth friendly. We were surprised to learn they've been selling them since 1974!

Cloth Produce Bags
There's nothing funny about a cloth grocery bag filled with plastic bags of produce :> Happily, Blue Skies Yoga carries cloth produce bags made of a unbleached, lightweight cotton that barely weighs on the produce scale.

Plantable Paper
Botanical Paperworks creates beautiful stationary and cards made from 100% post-consumer waste collected from local businesses. The paper is embedded with wildflower seeds, that bloom when planted. Eco and easy!