Further Than A Filter: Alternative Uses For The Common Coffee Filter

If you’ve ever made the mistake of buying a package of coffee filters that end up being the wrong size, you know a level of frustration that few experience. Now you have a large amount of something that you can’t use, but throwing them out would be a complete waste.

Luckily, this simple household good has a wide range of uses outside of filtering the average nine-ounce cup of coffee. Whether you have a plethora of coffee filters or you just want to get a little creative, read on to discover a number of other ways in which you can use the common coffee filter.

1. Protect dishes and glassware
   Coffee filters are the perfect protective layer between each piece of your fine dinnerware. They are slim enough that you can’t see them from a distance, but they are still able to provide sufficient padding to keep your dishes from chipping. If you need to store or move dishes and glassware, you can wrap them up in coffee filters to keep them from breaking.
2. Prevent food splatters in the microwave
   No matter what you heat up in the microwave, it always seems to leave behind messy splatters of food. You can put a stop to this mess by covering bowls and plates with coffee filters before you pop them in the microwave. The domed shape of coffee filters prevents the paper from touching your food and they are microwave safe.
3. Remove sediment from wine
   Even if you properly store wine in its optimum temperature range between 50 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit, you may find that older bottles collect sediment. These small bits can include dead yeast cells, tiny pieces of grape, and phenolic molecules. Remove this unpleasant sediment by placing an unbleached coffee filter over your glass and pouring the wine through it.
4. Steep looseleaf tea
   This is a perfect use for your extra coffee filters, as it is pretty close to their original intention. Add two teaspoons of your favorite tea to the middle of the coffee filter. Then, fold the sides together until you have a small square. Secure it with a rubber band to create a pouch and you have a nice bag of tea.
5. Create a well-portioned snack bowl
   When you don’t want to dirty another dish coffee filters make a great personal snack bowl. The shape of a coffee filter is already conveniently bowl-like and their size ensures that you eat a healthy portion. You can put virtually any type of dry snack inside of your coffee filter bowl, including popcorn, crackers, nuts, trail mix, and pretzels.

With just a little bit of imagination, you can use the seemingly innocuous coffee filter for almost anything. Get creative and you’ll never waste coffee filters again.