Coffee filters are a household essential for many of us who need a jolt to get going in the morning. Even if you’ve put aside your percolator and have gone the way of the pod coffeemaker, there are still dozens of ways to use your leftover coffee filters. Their simple shape and lint-free design makes them helpful in lots of other ways, too (apart from filtering coffee!). Incredibly cheap, absorbent, and shaped with a ruffle, coffee filters are useful in the kitchen, garden, and around the house. Here are some of the best ways to use coffee filters:
DISPOSABLE SNACK BOWLS
If you have little ones at home, then the meal and snack routine can seem like it’s on endless repeat. At about a penny a piece, using coffee filters as neat snack bowls from time to time are frugal and better for the environment than disposable plates. They’re also perfectly portable for picnics and other on-the-go meals.
FLOWER POT BASE
Before you pour potting soil into your container, place a filter in the bottom hole. This way, excess water can escape, but the dirt stays in its place. The best part? These can be used for coffee before you put them under the dirt!
DRIP PREVENTER FOR OIL BOTTLES
No matter how hard you try, sometimes oil escapes even double-lidded bottles. Use a coffee filter or two as an apron for your oil bottles, and escape the dreaded greasy bottle scenario.
PROTECTION FOR FINE CHINA PLATES AND BOWLS
Stack delicate plates and bowls with coffee filters in between each of them. They don’t add any bulk in storage but are strong enough to protect your fine china from scratches. Keep in mind that if you need extra protection, you can use four or five coffee filters to form a really thick layer.
DRY GLASSWARE
If you spy that your glasses are still a bit damp coming out of the dishwasher, reach out for a coffee filter. It will leave your stemware spotless and sparkling.
HOMEMADE TEA BAGS
Have you ever seen loose tea? There are all sorts of aromatic and otherwise lovely loose teas, but if you don’t have a fancy tea strainer, you couldn’t use them.
Unless you put the tea in a coffee filter and tied a string around it, and then you’d have a homemade tea bag.
HEAT TORTILLAS
Spritz the coffee filter with water and lay a tortilla on top of it. Spritz a second coffee filter and put it on top. Heat the stack in the microwave for 10-15 seconds, and your tortilla will be warm and still pliable. (Remember that all microwaves are different, so see how many seconds work best for you.) Keep these coffee filters on top of or next to the microwave. Use the same ones over and over again.
WRAP SANDWICHES
You know those fancy paper wrappers that some restaurants put around their sandwiches? You can make them inexpensively with coffee filters. These would your sandwiches a lot less messy, especially for children.
FRESH CLOTHES
Dampen a coffee filter with some white vinegar and a few drops of your favourite essential oil. Put it in the washing machine load. Your clothes will come out smelling fresh and the coffee filter reduces static.
ADDITIONAL WAYS TO USE COFFEE FILTER:
- Put flavourings (bay leaves, woody herb stems, etc.) in a coffee filter, tie with string, and stick in soup while cooking for quick and easy removal later.
- Use a coffee filter to prevent splatter when heating something in the microwave, simply place over the top of your food and carry on like normal.
- Poke a hole in a filter and insert the stick of your popsicle. You now have a DIY popsicle drip collector!
- When you fry foods, lay them on top of a coffee filter on a plate to soak up any excess oil and prevent it from forming a puddle on the plate.
- The original coffee filter was made from blotting platter, and the modern ones are still suited to the task. Cut some up and stash them in your purse to use as facial blotting papers when your glow turns into a full-on facial shine.