You Should Never Put Coffee Grounds Down Your Garbage Disposal — Here's Why

It can be tempting to dump your coffee grounds down the drain because it's quick and easy, and some people say it will freshen the scent of your drain and garbage disposal. While it's true that coffee grounds will absorb odors thanks to the nitrogen in them, let them do their work making your refrigerator smell better instead of your pipes!

When you pour the grounds down your sink they clump together and create a clog instead of washing all the way through. These clumps will stick to the sides of your pipes or garbage disposal, restricting the flow of water and creating backups. The grounds can also dull your garbage disposal blades over time, and a large amount at one time can cause the disposal to stop working altogether. This thick sludge can keep the grinding rings from spinning, causing it to seize up. It's all exacerbated by everything else that's already in your plumbing, especially any grease. While you should never pour grease down the drain, little bits at a time get down there and add up. Once you add coffee grounds to that grease it becomes almost cement-like. As someone who once ruined the sink at their office by pouring the coffee grounds down the drain, learn from my mistake. Not everyone will have a facilities manager as understanding and willing to educate me as I did.

The remains left behind from making a cup of coffee have many great uses that make pouring them down the sink a waste. They're a good deodorizer that can be dried out and left in the refrigerator or really anywhere in the kitchen you need to soak up some bad smells. You can even rub your hands with some wet grounds to get rid of any garlic odors you picked up while cooking. Just make sure the grounds don't go down the drain!

They're also helpful in the garden. You can dry them up and sprinkle them onto the soil to make better soil. As the coffee breaks down, it provides microbes that improve the soil's structure and drainage. Don't use too much or put them right on the plant, as that can harm it. Work about a half inch of grounds 4 inches into the soil for best effect. Even better is adding it to compost to allow it to break down fully before adding it to soil. Make sure to keep it under 20% of your total compost. It also is a natural slug repellent when added to soil, killing slugs with caffeine poisoning better than chemical options.