As it turns out, your perfect cup of coffee has more uses than just kick-starting the day. You heard us right! You might not know this, but coffee is a versatile ingredient that can be used in various ways in your everyday life. The answer lies in its composition. Coffee, in the form of beans and powder, contains a range of chemicals and nutrients that come together to help keep our kitchens and homes clean and safe throughout the year. In this article, we will take you through some of the most effective uses of coffee that go beyond providing you with energy. Read on.
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Alternative Uses of Coffee: Here are 7 Surprising Benefits of Coffee:
1. Prevents moisture in salt and sugar:
The monsoon season brings along humidity, increasing the moisture level in the air. This directly affects the spices and food ingredients stored in our kitchen. You might often find the salt and sugar containers getting damp during the season due to excessive moisture absorption. This is where a few coffee beans come to the rescue. They work as a natural desiccant and keep salt and sugar safe for a longer time. The best part is that these food ingredients don't pick up the flavour of coffee, making them easy to use for cooking and consumption.
2. Works as an insect repellent:
Coffee contains a good amount of caffeine and diterpenes, which are known to be toxic to insects, pests, and bugs. It also helps keep flies and mosquitoes away from your home and kitchen areas. All you need to do is take the coffee grounds, dry them, and keep them in a bowl at the corners of the house and outdoor sitting area. You can also sprinkle it in the kitchen garden to prevent bugs.
3. Prevents damp odour:
Does your kitchen area still smell bad even after cleaning it properly? If yes, then stop throwing away the coffee grounds now! Why, you ask? It's because coffee grounds work as a natural deodorizer! Coffee contains a good amount of nitrogen that helps eliminate the foul smell from the air. You can simply sprinkle some coffee powder at the corners of your house or keep some coffee beans in a bowl. Some people also soak coffee grounds in water and sprinkle it all over. However, we do not recommend this process to avoid any coffee stains on your bed sheets, curtains, and kitchen linens.
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4. Cleans tough stains on your pots and pans:
You can use coffee to clean kitchen utensils too, thanks to the coarse texture of the grounds. They work as a scouring agent to help clean dark stains and tough food stuck to your pans and more. Just sprinkle some grounds in the pan, scrub with steel wool, and rinse well. That's it! You'll have clean and sparkling utensils in no time.
5. Helps soften meat:
Coffee contains natural enzymes that, when applied to a steak of meat, help tenderize it in no time. It also helps you achieve that crispy crust on the steak once it's prepared. All you need to do is dry rub coffee grounds on the meat and let it rest for an hour or so.
6. Works as a natural fertilizer:
Coffee contains calcium, magnesium, and other essential minerals, along with nitrogen. All these nutrients come together to become fodder for your plants. This means you can use leftover coffee grounds to prepare chemical-free fertilizer at home for your garden.
7. Declogs drains:
Coffee also helps clear drain clogs, especially in the kitchen and utility areas. The sink in these areas often gets clogged when leftover food gets stuck in the pipes. You just need to mix coffee grounds with liquid soap and hot water, and then pass the concoction through the sink pipes. This will clear the area and eliminate the foul smell.
Admit it, we have just given you some great reasons to love your cup of coffee even more!
About Somdatta SahaExplorer- this is what Somdatta likes to call herself. Be it in terms of food, people or places, all she craves for is to know the unknown. A simple aglio olio pasta or daal-chawal and a good movie can make her day.