Save Your Coffee Grounds! Turn Them in to Gardener's Soap
$10
1 Hour
Easy
Instead of throwing away my used coffee grounds, I saved them to make a gardener's soap. This recipe scrubs away dirt while the shea butter softens your skin.
I used to put my leftover grounds on my rose bush, but I don't have a rose bush any more. I have to be careful dumping them outside because I have free range chickens. I don't need a bunch of caffeinated chickens running around.
Start by melting your soap base. I used 8 ounces of melt and pour soap. I microwave it for 30 seconds at 80 percent power and stir. Just be careful that it doesn't start to boil.
You want to let it cool until a scum forms on the top. Meanwhile, mix .5 tablespoon bentonite clay with an equal part distilled water to make a paste.
Once the soap cools, add the clay and water mixture, 1 tablespoon cornmeal, .5 tablespoons dried coffee grounds, .5 tablespoon shea butter, and 1 teaspoon of orange or lemon essential oil.
Pour in to a soap mold and let harden. Enjoy!
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Linda Sue Johnstonon Jan 19, 2017no coffee grounds if you have a septic tank in the mountains
![Rose Maloney]()
Rose Maloneyon Feb 2, 2017I save slivers of bar soap, add a little water at a time, microwave for 45 seconds at a time (I'm working with about 2 cups soap slivers) until melty and thick. Then I pour it into a mold and let harden in a cool dry cabinet with a tray of clean cat litter to speed the drying process. I don't see any reason you couldn't recycle the coffee grounds along with the soap slivers for the potting shed soap! Also, if you work a little soap up under your nails before you start digging, it'll be a lot easier to have clean hands when you're done if you are like me and don't like to wear gloves.
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I heard coffee grounds are hard on your drains
I have heard the same thing. Flush coffee grounds down the drain to keep it flowing and don’t flush tea leaves because they will clog it. Don’t know if it’s true...just saying I heard it.
You put .5 tablespoons on a few items but I see you using a full tablespoon. Do you mean 5 tablespoons? If not, perhaps saying 2 teaspoons etc would be better? I really want to make this soap but I also want to be sure of the measurements. TFS!
My reply is above your reply.
I doubled the recipe, so I used a full tablespoon.
Where do you get the clay??