Don’t just dump those old grounds! Put them to use around the house and as a secret weapon against dead skin with these useful tips.

A few weeks back, we brought you a story about a research team that’s discovered a way to make biodiesel out of coffee grounds. But while cars that run on coffee might still be years, or even light years, away, there are a number of things you can do right now to put your used grounds to work around the house.

What was once only the staple of a good compost pile can be reused as an exfoliant, fertilizer, and even for patching scuffmarks on furniture. You’ll save money and help the environment just by embracing a few of the tips below. What could be better than that?

Help for you (and Fido)

* Mix grounds that have had a chance to sit and cool down for a while with an egg white and use as a mud mask. Caffeine has been shown to help tighten cellulite and improve skin texture and many skin care companies have started including it in their creams’ ingredients. Just like when it hits your bloodstream first thing in the morning, caffeine causes blood vessels in your skin to constrict and appear tighter. Plus, the grainy texture of the grounds will help slough off dead skin cells.
* Keep a small portion in your kitchen to help eliminate food odors on your skin. Anyone who cooks knows that scents like garlic and onion have a tendency to stay on your hands well after you’ve enjoyed your spaghetti or salad. Rubbing the grounds on your hands and then rinsing them will neutralize those odors much like perfume stores keep fresh coffee on hand to help refresh your sense of smell.
* Use them as an organic flea dip for your pet. I’m not completely sure how this works (or how you get your dog to stay still long enough to tolerate it), but rubbing grounds into your dog’s skin and then rinsing them helps keep fleas at bay. Maybe fleas aren’t attracted to the scent the way humans are?

Help around the house

* Stop spending money on air fresheners and use the grounds to battle odors in your closets and fridge instead. A small amount of wet coffee grounds can be placed in your refrigerator until dry or packed into a nylon sock and hung in a closet to work as a deodorizer for both.
* Sprinkle grounds around your garden to help fertilize plants and flowers. Acid-loving plants like azaleas and rose bushes benefit from having grounds placed on the soil around their roots. The grounds will also act as worm food and help repel plant-munchers like slugs and snails.
* Re-brew and steep coffee grounds in water for several hours to create a wood stain that can be used on crafts or as a touch-up on brown or black furniture. Strain the grounds out before using and apply with a Q-tip.

For even more tips, especially if your interested in how coffee grounds can help your garden, check out Green Living’s article on the subject. I’ve found quite a few tips I intend to use and I hope you have too.

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