30 Ingenious Uses for Coffee Filters

butterflies out of filters

30 Ingenious Uses for Coffee Filters

We are often reminded that a coffee filter makes a great blotter, but we bet you didn’t know these 25 other ways to use them!

Everything from removing stains on driveways, to cleaning, to planting. Now you’ll be able to think of your coffee filters as more than just a coffee filter.

#1: Remove oil stains from your driveway by placing used coffee filters in the affected area and add some vinegar to soak up the oil. Let stand overnight, then sweep with a broom for easy removal of all that ugly black or brown mess.

#2: Use them as a spoon rest while cooking and clean up small counter spills.

#3: Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers. They’re not flimsy like paper towels and don’t break apart when you try to remove them. Plus, they won’t add any residue from the microwave onto your food.

#4: Use them to strain soup stock and to tie fresh herbs in to put in soups and stews.

#5: Use coffee filters as a blotter while working with oil-based paints or stains. The filters will absorb excess paint and prevent it from dripping on your art work or surfaces below. 

#6: Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.

#7: Protect China by separating your good dishes with a coffee filter between each dish. As long as you don’t stack the dishes, it’s easy to remove the filter after washing and your China should remain unscathed.

#8: Clean windows, mirrors, and chrome… Coffee filters are lint-free so they’ll leave windows sparkling.

#9: Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter. The grounds will catch all the little bits of cork that you couldn’t pick out and it will strain out any large pieces as well.

#10: Put used coffee filters under potted plants to absorb moisture and prevent the plant from rotting. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot too by lining a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.

#11: Use them to wrap Christmas ornaments for storage.

#12: Use them to sprout seeds.. Simply dampen the coffee filter, place seeds inside, fold it and place it into a plastic sprout.

#13: Prevent spills when pouring grease from your frying pan by placing two coffee filters over the top of your funnel or grease collector. This way, everything is contained in the filter instead of running down the side and making a mess on your stovetop or countertop.

#14: Make a cold compress by wetting a coffee filter and placing an ice cube in it. Make sure to wet it first so it doesn’t stick!

#15: Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.

#16: Add a few used coffee filters to the bottom of bird cages to catch droppings.

#17: Coffee filters can be safely composted along with all your other paper products. They work great as an indoor composter liner. Be sure the filter is clean before adding it to your compost bin by spraying it lightly with vinegar or dunking it in hot water first – this will keep pests away from the decomposing grounds.

#19: Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter. Dab on polish. Buff with a clean area of the filter.

#20: Apply liquid soap to a coffee filter and use as a washcloth for washing your car or other tough jobs around the house. Coffee filters are lint-free so they don’t scratch delicate surfaces

#21: Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.

#22: Make a paint brush cleaning pad. After using your paintbrush, wipe the bristles on a coffee filter to clean off any extra paint before placing it back in its container. This will keep the bristles from drying out and keep your brushes soft.

#23: Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods. As an alternative to paper towels, coffee filters are often used as reusable napkins for messy foods such as ice cream cones, milkshakes and hamburgers. Some coffee shops offer them as an alternative to paper napkins.

#24: Pout on a faucet. Placing a coffee filter over an open faucet overnight can help catch mineral build-up the next day.

#25: Filter paint. Use coffee filters to strain paint or ink when you’re cleaning up after crafts or other artistic endeavors.

#26: Keep food warm while cooking. Make a disposable cozy by soaking an empty paper towel tube in water, cutting off one end and placing it around the container of food before putting it into your slow cooker so that steam will stay trapped inside.

#27 Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc on them. It soaks out all the grease.

#28: Use as a disposable “snack bowl” for popcorn, chips, etc.

#29: As a sewing backing. Use a filter as an easy-to-tear backing for embroidering or appliqueing soft fabrics.

#30: Put baking soda into a coffee filter and insert into shoes or a closet to absorb or prevent odors. Or use as potpourri sachets. Fill the center of a coffee filter with potpourri and tie off to make an instant sachet to toss into drawers or closets.

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