10 BRILLIANT USES FOR EGGSHELLS

Savvy ways the food scraps save the day

1 MELLOW-OUT BITTER COFFEE 

You nabbed a new brand of coffee on sale at the grocery store, but it’s a bit too acidic. To make it more palatable, add 1 tsp. of clean, crushed eggshells to the coffee grounds before brewing. The alkaline shells will neutralize the acidity in the java without compromising flavor.

2 Improve a pup’s bone health

Here’s a vet-approved way to ensure your dog gets all the calcium he needs: Bake 12 clean eggshells for 5 minutes at 300°F, then let cool and grind into a powder. Every day, sprinkle 1⁄4 tsp. per 15 pounds of body weight onto your dog’s meal. Shell remnants are loaded with calcium and plenty of other nutrients to keep your pup and his bones healthy.

3 Pest-proof a garden If you worry about

deer, slugs and snails helping themselves to your tender seedlings and plants, this can deter them: Scatter crushed eggshells on the leaves of the nibbled-on plants and around the garden’s perimeter. Snails and slugs can’t safely cross the shells’ jagged corners, and deer hate the smell of egg. Genius, right?

4 QUICKLY SHARPEN DULL SHEARS