I acquired a huge can of stale ground coffee from my workplace (Kirkland brand) and am wondering what I can do with it besides the usual recycled tips I've found online (ie. garden, compost...) My boss says the can has been there for about 2 years and only been used once.
You could use to stale coffee for decorating, put some of the coffee in a decorative container and then put a pillar candle in it and as the candle melts it will heat the coffee and it will allow the room to smell of the aroma of coffee.
www.howcast.com/
This link gives a list of uses for stale coffee.
Add some to melted pour-and-melt soap and then mold the soap, add a little cinnamon, too. The coffee will exfoliate when you use it and also will mask funky odors on your hands (like onion/fish).
How stale is it actually? I would try to brew some and/or mix 1/2 and 1/2 with some new coffee to see if it can be used! I bet that the coffee underneath the top layer will still have some life in it for brewing....and maybe even the top layer if the container was closed!
Mix the coffee grounds 50-50 with whole or refined sugar, add an equal amount vegetable oil to make a paste, and you get a high-caffeine sugar scrub, perfect for those jiggly areas we all have. Scent can be added with ground spices (I like cinnamon and cloves) or a few drops of almond or vanilla flavoring.
Oooh the scrub sounds like a wonderful idea! The grinds are very stale so this is perfect! THANKS! :)
Use it to both color and scent homemade clay dough. I've made some great scented hanging ornaments using coffee and other herbs and spices. After you bake the clay ornaments use them to hang in your kitchen cabinets or the fridge/freezer. Coffee is a fantastic odor killer.
I remember reading about salt dough and having coffee grounds mixed in it for a stone surface.
I would try using it with a stronger roast fresh coffee, brew with some cinnamon or a bit of vanilla extract.
You could brew it and use it in place of the water in a brownie mix recipe. The coffee enhances the chocolate flavor. Just add a little extra vanilla to the mix.
Save it for spring for your hydrangea?
I would make a coffee dye out of it. If you have white linens that have lost their lustre you can dye them with strong coffee, they come out looking like antiques. It is really beautiful.
I have also used ground coffee as an additive when making candles. The candles are really unique and the scent when the candle is burning is like a coffee house.
Hope this helps.
Laura
www.thriftyfun.com/
This is fun and useful. I love all the others! I make died tea fabric, but coffee workes great, too.
If the coffee is still good, you can donate it.
You could pour a little in the bottom of a knee-high, tie it off and put it in your vaccuum cleaner bag if your vaccuum uses bags. It smells nice when you vaccuum. I use herbal tea bags that I didn't care for like this.
I certainly would try a pot of it and see how stale it really tastes. Isn't going to waste much time, money or effort to try. Also, by mixing it with fresher coffee it may be fine.
Give it to me! I am not kidding. I'll brew it and drink it. For some reason, I can't tell the differnce between what you call a 'fresh pot' coffee and one that was left cold in the pot for a day or two. I have been a tea-drinker (with adder sugar and cream) all my life. I am told not forgo adding sugar--so I am using coffee--black, fresh or old, it's all the same to me but it's better than sugarless tea.
If it's all stale and smells musty, it's no good to use. It was taste as bad as it smells. (Been there and done that!) If it smells okay, but is slightly past the expiration date, try using it.
