10 Surprising COFFEE Hacks You Never Knew Existed!

Coffee is more than just a morning pick-me-up; it’s a versatile tool that can improve your life in unexpected ways. Whether you're a hardcore coffee lover or just enjoy the occasional cup, these surprising hacks will change how you see your favorite brew. Let’s dive in!

1. Freeze Coffee for Iced Perfection

Tired of watered-down iced coffee? Freeze leftover coffee into ice cube trays. These coffee cubes will keep your drink cold without diluting the flavor, giving you the perfect iced coffee every time. The next time you’re in a rush, simply toss a few coffee cubes into a glass of milk for an instant iced latte.

2. Use Coffee Grounds as a Natural Exfoliant

Don’t toss those used coffee grounds! They’re a fantastic natural exfoliant for your skin. Mix them with a little coconut oil and gently scrub to remove dead skin cells and leave your skin glowing. Coffee grounds are rich in antioxidants, which can help fight signs of aging. Plus, the caffeine helps to tighten skin and reduce puffiness—perfect for a DIY spa day.

3. Eliminate Odors in Your Fridge

Place a bowl of used coffee grounds in your refrigerator to absorb unwanted odors. It’s an eco-friendly and cost-effective alternative to baking soda. Not only will it keep your fridge smelling fresh, but it also recycles something you would have thrown away. For an extra boost, replace the grounds every two weeks.

4. Make Coffee Marinades for Rich Flavor

Coffee adds depth to marinades for meats like steak or pork. Mix brewed coffee with soy sauce, garlic, and spices for a rich, savory flavor that enhances your dishes. The acidity in coffee helps to tenderize the meat while the bold flavor complements smoky or grilled dishes. This hack is a secret weapon for summer barbecues or weeknight dinners.

5. Boost Your Garden with Coffee Grounds

Used coffee grounds are an excellent fertilizer. Sprinkle them in your garden to enrich the soil and help plants thrive. They’re especially great for acid-loving plants like roses and blueberries. Coffee grounds also improve drainage, water retention, and aeration in soil. As an added bonus, they can attract earthworms—nature’s best gardeners.

6. Create a DIY Coffee Air Freshener

Fill a small cloth bag or sock with coffee beans and place it in your car or closet for a natural, subtle air freshener. The beans absorb odors and leave behind a pleasant coffee aroma. This hack is perfect for those who love the smell of coffee but don’t want an overpowering scent. Replace the beans every few months to keep the aroma fresh.

7. Remove Stubborn Smells from Hands

Cooking with garlic or onions can leave your hands smelling funky. Rub them with used coffee grounds to neutralize odors instantly. The abrasive texture also works as a gentle scrub to leave your hands clean and soft. Keep a jar of used grounds by your kitchen sink for quick odor removal whenever you need it.

8. Shine Your Wooden Furniture

Brewed coffee can be used as a natural wood polish. Dab a cloth in cooled coffee and gently rub it over scratches or dull spots to restore shine and mask imperfections. This works particularly well on dark wooden furniture, as the coffee helps to deepen the color and hide minor blemishes. Buff with a dry cloth afterward for a polished finish.

9. Repel Pests with Coffee Grounds

Coffee grounds can help keep pests like ants and slugs away from your home and garden. Sprinkle them around problem areas to create a natural barrier. The strong smell of coffee deters many insects, while the rough texture is unpleasant for pests like slugs to crawl over. This chemical-free solution is safe for pets and plants.

10. Enhance Chocolate Recipes

Add a teaspoon of brewed coffee or instant coffee granules to your chocolate desserts, like brownies or cakes, to intensify the flavor. Coffee and chocolate are a match made in heaven! The subtle coffee flavor enhances the richness of the chocolate without overpowering it. Try this hack the next time you bake, and prepare for compliments from everyone who takes a bite.

Did you know?

People used to clean their hands with coffee.

Although soap is essential to our daily lives, it hasn't always existed. Soap was first mentioned 4,500 years ago on a cuneiform tablet found in Girsu, in ancient Mesopotamia (modern Iraq). However, even then - and for centuries afterward - humans probably didn't wash their hands with the slippery substance. Soap made from rendered fat and wood ash was used primarily to clean dirty clothing and raw fibers for weaving. Several ancient peoples (such as the Greeks) used scented olive oils and other substances - including coffee - to clean their bodies instead of soap.

According to historians, coffee drinking originated in Ethiopia and spread to the Middle East and Europe around the 15th century. Before then, some cultures used the brew not as a beverage, but as a cleanser. During the 10th century, physicians and botanists in the Middle East began writing in Arabic about "bunk," a compound similar to modern brewed coffee that could be used for handwashing. Bunk was credited with removing strong odors from hands without drying out the skin, and recipes included spices like cloves, cinnamon, and fruit peels. In addition to body oils and perfumed powders, bunk may have been incorporated into other products. However, little is known about the compound. It appears the practice fell out of popularity as coffee became valued less for its odor-eliminating properties and more for the same thing modern consumers appreciate: that caffeinating buzz.

As coffee drinking became more widespread, its use as a handwashing agent declined. Today, coffee is primarily enjoyed as a caffeinated beverage. Several factors contributed to the transition of coffee from a cleansing agent to a popular beverage.By the 15th century, coffee was already a popular beverage in the Middle East and Europe. This suggests that the shift from cleanser to beverage likely occurred gradually over time as people began to favor its taste and caffeine content.

The sources mention that around the 10th century, a coffee-like compound called "bunk" was used for handwashing in the Middle East. It was valued for its ability to remove odors without drying the skin, and recipes often included spices.1 However, little information about "bunk" is available, making it difficult to pinpoint when or why its use declined.

Overall, the sources suggest that the shift from coffee as a cleanser to a beverage was primarily driven by the increasing popularity of coffee drinking and the appreciation of its stimulating properties. The exact timeline and reasons for the decline of "bunk" as a cleansing agent remain unclear.

How do you convince children to like soap?

That was manufacturer Procter & Gamble’s big question in the early 1920s, when company executives were looking to draw in a younger demographic of shoppers. Believing that children familiar with the company’s Ivory soap would be future consumers, advertisers launched a marketing campaign that introduced the floating soap bars as art materials. In 1924, Procter & Gamble held its first National Soap Sculpture Competition, promoting the brand’s soap bars as the perfect medium for artistic carvings and awarding amateur artists with cash, trips, and other prizes. Soap carving exploded in popularity for more than a decade to follow, in part because of the Great Depression. Out-of-work Americans with more downtime sought out hands-on hobbies such as carpentry, gardening, and crafts — and with Ivory soap priced at just 25 cents for a six-pack (less than $5 today), soap carving became an inexpensive amusement.

Did You Know?

Soap carving was a popular hobby during the Great Depression.

Seconds the CDC recommends scrubbing your hands when hand washing = 20 seconds

Year Purell, the gel-based hand sanitizer, became available in stores = 1997

Estimated species of bacteria that live on human hands at any given time = 150

Estimated cups of coffee consumed in the U.S. each day, as of 2023 = 440 million

Conclusion

Who knew coffee could be this versatile? From the kitchen to the garden, coffee is a game-changer in so many areas of life. Try these hacks and see how they can transform your routine—you might just love coffee even more!

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