What are the uses of coffee grounds? Can coffee grounds be put directly in flower pots/applied to dark circles under the eyes?

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The Coffee Ground Revolution

I'm not sure when it started, but coffee grounds have suddenly become "hard currency."

Once considered trash, coffee grounds have transformed into an "all-purpose" treasure. Many netizens have been posting on social media, sharing various uses for coffee grounds.

Among the most popular discussed uses are: growing plants, applying to the face to reduce swelling, using as body scrub to exfoliate and achieve weight loss effects... So how are those who followed these trends doing now?

"I used coffee grounds to grow plants, but the plants died..."

"After applying coffee grounds to my face, it was red and swollen for a long time..."

"After using coffee grounds in the shower for a week, the drain got clogged"

At this point, some might stand up and say: "But everyone is recommending these uses for coffee grounds! Why don't they work for me?!" Because! Most online tutorials are traps! Especially applying coffee grounds to the face or using them in the shower - claims that caffeine can penetrate into blood vessels to reduce swelling or excite fat to achieve weight loss effects... can truly be called nonsense.

Why Did People Suddenly Start Paying Attention to Coffee Grounds?

It started with Starbucks first proposing that coffee grounds could be reused. The reason was that each Starbucks store produces about 10 kilograms of coffee grounds daily, and throwing them away felt wasteful! To respond to environmental concerns, Starbucks stores worldwide began offering free coffee grounds and suggested taking them home to ferment and mix with soil to fertilize plants that prefer nitrogenous compounds and most perennial plants.

They also recommended using them to eliminate odors, wash dishes, keep cats away from certain areas... and even suggested applying coffee grounds around the eyes to promote blood circulation.

It was from this time that people began to pay attention to the reuse of coffee grounds. As coffee became increasingly popular, environmental researchers worldwide have been working hard in recent years to promote eco-friendly uses for coffee grounds, such as turning them into fuel, fabric for clothes and shoes... or making them into cups, furniture, and more.

Without exception, they all express the viewpoint that "coffee grounds are very versatile, it's a shame to throw them away," so越来越多的人 began to pay attention to coffee grounds.

How Unreliable Are Popular Online Coffee Ground Uses?

"Growing Plants with Coffee Grounds"

After discovering that coffee grounds could be reused, many people followed the uses suggested by Starbucks. However, many missed key points! For example, skipping the important fact that coffee grounds need to be fermented before being used as fertilizer, and that not all plants are suitable for coffee ground fertilizer.

Instead, they would take coffee grounds home, find any potted plant, sprinkle coffee grounds on the soil surface, and take a photo. Title: "The flowers grown with coffee grounds look so beautiful! Sisters, hurry up and try!" Body: "The effects of coffee grounds: xxxxxxx... How to use coffee grounds to grow plants? xxxxxxxxx" Then press Enter.

Actually, these sharing netizens might just be writing casually, and perhaps the plants would wither in a few days. Because coffee grounds begin to ferment in the soil, the acidic substances, mold, etc., will rot the plant's roots and also attract many small flying insects.

To truly use coffee grounds for plant fertilization, you need to use special composting bacteria for proper fermentation, then mix a small amount into the soil to provide nitrogenous nutrients for plants, but this is only suitable for plants that like acidic soil.

"Coffee Grounds for Dark Circles," "Coffee Ground Face Masks," "Coffee Ground Showers for Weight Loss"

"This was said by Starbucks!" one person stood up and said. The person who wrote about the wonderful uses of coffee grounds at Starbucks might not have done experiments at that time, perhaps like many netizens who thought that coffee contains caffeine, and caffeine has the effect of promoting blood circulation, so they wrote such a suggestion.

Caffeine does indeed have such effects, but it needs to be consumed! Caffeine can achieve the effect of dilating blood vessels in the body, allowing more blood to flow through the vessels to increase blood flow. Applying it directly around the eyes cannot achieve the claimed effect of caffeine helping to eliminate dark circles.

Similarly, the claims about applying to the face to reduce swelling are also unfeasible - again, "you need to drink it!" After caffeine enters the body, it increases kidney perfusion, and more water is excreted through the kidneys, which can achieve diuretic and swelling-reducing effects. Moreover, if applied for too long, the color of coffee grounds will attach to the skin, making your face yellow!! The same goes for weight loss through showering with coffee grounds. Even if caffeine could really penetrate directly into the skin and have effects, the caffeine content in brewed coffee grounds is very low, making it meaningless.

Some people even use coffee grounds taken directly from coffee shops to apply around their eyes and face. How long the coffee grounds have been exposed in the open environment is unknown, how many bacterial colonies have developed during storage is also unknown - applying them directly to the skin is truly bold...

"Placing Directly in Refrigerator, Shoe Cabinet, or Pet Area to Eliminate Odors"

This method is currently reliable. Because coffee grounds have a porous structure, this allows them to have adsorption capabilities like activated carbon, so using coffee grounds to absorb odors makes sense. But first, you need to dry the coffee grounds!

Especially when stored in poorly ventilated environments like shoe cabinets, if the coffee grounds themselves contain moisture, they can easily rot and mold, and improper handling can actually have negative effects. If you don't want to dry them, be sure to replace them promptly~

Image source: Internet

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