Putting A Jar Of Coffee Grounds In The Kitchen: Why It Works & Why People Are Doing It

While the majority of coffee grounds will go towards making steaming mugs of the caffeinated liquid that helps millions of people start their mornings, there are many other genius ways to use them in your home. One such way is to take fresh coffee grounds, put them in a jar or bowl, and leave it open in the kitchen. Why people do this, and the science behind why it works, is actually a lot simpler than you might think. There are many different solutions that you can use to get cooking smells out of your home, but using coffee grounds has to be one of the easiest and most effective.

As one Redditor on the Life Hacks board put it: "All one has to do is put a tablespoon or two in a little cup, and set it out somewhere in their bedroom, kitchen, or bathroom (etc.) and they will notice immediately that it can eliminate some seriously funky smells." While it doesn't take a lot of coffee to start the work, you may find it necessary to increase the amount of grounds depending on how pervasive the smell is. If you want to try this hack, a simple cheap can of pre-ground Folgers or supermarket brand coffee will work. If all you have is whole bean coffee, grind them before placing them in the jar. With luck, you should notice a decrease in smells in your kitchen — besides that of the freshly-ground coffee.

There is actual science behind why coffee grounds work to eliminate other odors in your kitchen. A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Science and Development showed that dried coffee grounds performed exceptionally well in terms of odor control. This is thanks to the coffee's ability to absorb and trap odors. But how does it do this?

Coffee is naturally porous. When you pour hot water over it to make your morning beverage, those porous beans take in the boiling water, which then extracts the flavors, oils, and caffeine from the beans. The same principle applies with odor control. The high nitrogen in the porous coffee grounds take in odor particles. However, instead of letting those airborne particles go, the coffee holds onto them, essentially trapping and eliminating the odors from a space.

This works exceptionally well in enclosed spaces, like your refrigerator or pantry closet, where odors tend to linger. However, it can work in more open spaces as well. It is easiest to do this with fresh coffee grounds, but used coffee grounds can also be employed, provided they have been dried out first. As such, whenever you find an odor lasting in your kitchen, just grab some coffee grounds and go to town.