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Many of us have either updated our coffee maker or received a newer coffer maker over the years. In some cases, we are left with unused paper coffee filters that we either have to throw out or find other uses for them.
Here are 9 Coffee Filter Hacks that you may find useful. Either use your unused coffee filters that you already have at home or purchase them at your local store. They really are very handy to have in your home.
Other nifty uses for coffee filters:
Cheesecloth
Remember the woven pieces of cheesecloth material that our mothers used to have in the house for pickling or bouquet garni. Well, you could use coffee filters to hold whole spices that you wish to add in food that is cooking. All you need to do is place the whole spices in the coffee filter, gather the top and tie it together. Add it into the pot and discard once the food is cooked.
DIY Tea Bag
Another great use for keeping those ultra-fine items all in one space is for a tea bag. Instead of spending a fortune on or having to go out and buy new ones, you can simple use a piece of string or twine and wrap up your loose-leaf tea in a coffee filter.
Strainer
Use a coffee filter to strain hot bacon grease from your frying pan. The coffee filter will catch all the little crumbs so you can reuse the grease if you wish to do so. This is one of my favorite uses!
Plant Pot Liner
Use the paper filters to line your plant pots when you are moving them to larger pots. Simply place the filter in the bottom and top it with potting soil. The filter will prevent the small bits of soil that seem to escape the pot when they are watered. A mess I find myself always having to deal with at some point.
Oil Remover
Keep a couple of these stashed in your purse as they are great for removing sweat, grime and oil from your face. All you need to do is to place them over the oily spot on your face and dab the oil away.
Replaces Cotton Balls
If you happen to polish your nails and need to take the old nail polish off and are out of cotton balls, use torn coffee filters to remove old nail polish. Simply dab with remover and wipe away.
Clean Computer Screens
Coffee filters seem to work well for cleaning computer and television screens. Simply spray or dry wipe with a coffee filter to remove dust buildup. They leave no particles of fluff behind. After all, they are designed to be soft, but not fluffy, so using them for this purpose works really well. You can also take it a step further and use them for windows, they just might not survive long enough for a whole series of large or long ones!
Polish Silver Or Shoes
Following on from the screen cleaning above, coffee filters also make a great cloth for cleaning anything to a shine. From you shoes, if you don’t have a cloth handy, to sliver wear or even jewelry. The material they are made out of and their longevity as a cloth make for great cleaning cloths in general.
Wrap Tortillas
Wrap tortillas in a dampened coffee filter before putting it in the microwave. It will prevent the tortilla from drying out and it will be soft and yummy. It also helps keep them together in general, which is a problem when you have dry tortillas you want to hold their shape and contents!
Sandwich Wrap
Cut down on your use of plastic and use a coffee filter to wrap your sandwich before placing it in your plastic container. It will absorb some of the moisture, leaving your sandwich fresh and not soggy. It will also save you from cleaning the container so much or so often, something I am sure you will appreciate.
Line Your Cast Iron Pans
Many of us have cast iron fry pans in our homes. Coffee filters are great for placing in between these pans before we put them away. The fiber draws any dampness away from the pan and helps to eliminate any rust from forming.
Pack You Valuables or Breakables
Coffee filters make a soft padding for a lot of different items, so don’t let yourself be restricted by the ideas here. You can pack things like Christmas balls, spare light bulbs, sensitive jewelry or watches. Any other breakables, perhaps while you are packing for moving or flying somewhere for the holidays. They have also sorts of uses!
Other Ideas
Coffee filters are economical and can be used in place of many things in our home. Save yourself some money by making sure that you have coffee filters on hand. They can also stop the bleeding from minor cuts.