You Can Use Coffee Grounds To Clean Pots And Pans. Here's How
Drinking coffee should make most mornings easier by helping you wake up and get ready for the day ahead. Coffee grounds on the other hand seem to find their way all over your sink, making the process of cleaning your coffee pot a nuisance. Thankfully, spending hours searching for a cleaner way to get rid of your grounds isn't your only option. These leftover bits actually serve quite a few purposes that make them a useful kitchen addition.
Speaking of kitchen inconveniences, one of our greatest pet peeves is cleaning pots and pans that have food remnants caked or burnt on the bottom. We're talking about the kind of residue that your everyday sponge can do little to remove. Instead of turning your arm to Jell-O with futile heavy-duty scrubbing efforts, try adding coffee grounds. You can use them straight after they've served their purpose, or you can dry them out and use them days after, according to Ground to Ground. This may be even more helpful since dried grounds are rougher, giving you a grittier texture for cleaning.
When should you use coffee grounds?
Melissa Maker from Clean My Space explained to Considerable that the grounds will do all the abrasive work with no need for soap. Since coffee grounds have a coarse texture, they act similarly to steel wool while being much gentler on your hands. This is especially true if you've been using strong chemical soaps to get rid of the grime. Coffee grounds are an excellent eco-friendly alternative to using chemical products that do little to benefit you or the Earth. SF Gate advises to simply sprinkle a few spoonfuls of grounds into your pot or pan and use a regular sponge or rag to scrub the dirty surface. Once the food is scoured away, rinse your dish thoroughly to remove excess grounds and it'll be clean and ready for your next round of cooking.
Coffee grounds are ideal for cleaning stainless steel, and The Oregonian indicates they are especially successful on cast iron pans. However, not all dishes will appreciate the abrasive texture, and consequently, coffee grounds are not suitable for all surfaces. Keep them away from ceramic or non-stick pans as they will leave scratches according to Considerable. The site recommends testing a small area to ensure the grounds don't stain your surface either. This could happen with porous materials that absorb some of the color. Besides these few limitations, coffee grounds might become your new favorite kitchen cleaner. You might have to start drinking coffee if you weren't doing so before!