Coffee filters have dozens of possible uses besides making coffee.

Here are just 15!

Keeping insects away from food

When cooking or dining outdoors, cover your plates and bowls of food with coffee filters to keep the flying insects at bay.

Pre-filter collected water

When collecting water, you will likely find some sediment, leaves, twigs or other undesirable matter in the water. Pre-filter collected water using a water filter then process as you normally would, typically by boiling or by the use of a filtering system.

Keep small hardware items organized

Nails, screws and all manner of fix-it items are good to have on hand in your survival kit. Secure them in little bundles made of coffee filters. Tie off the bundles with some paracord since that will be useful too.

Keep your specs spotlessly clean

You don’t need fancy liquid products to clean your glasses and, as a matter of fact, some products can also damage the coatings on specialized lenses. (I know – it happened to me.)

The next time you need to clean your glasses, try using a coffee filter with a bit of plain water.

Your glasses will come clean and will be lint-free. You can also use a coffee filter to safely clean cell phone. E-reader and computer screens.

Protect your cast iron skillets from rust

Nothing can be more discouraging to the cast iron maven then to find a bit of rust on your well-seasoned cast iron skillet. You can help prevent this by putting some coffee filters in the skillet when it’s not in use. The filter will absorb moisture and prevent rusting.

Emergency toilet paper

No TP? No worries. A coffee filter will work just fine – just don’t flush it down a toilet – remember, this is for emergency use.

Make a cold compress

Soak filters in brewed tea or even just plain water and chill. Fold them up to fashion a cold compress when you have a headache or slight fever or even just to tame puffy eyes.

Trap cooking grease

When cooking greasy foods – especially meats – you can soak up the extra grease by placing a coffee filter both under the cooked food and on top. Pat your food down well with the coffee filter and you will be good to go.

Make an instant funnel
Cut the end off of a cone-style coffee filter to make an instant funnel.

Sprout seeds for consuming

To sprout seeds, dampen the coffee filter then place seeds inside. Fold it up then place the filter and seed packet into a plastic baggie until they sprout. If you can, keep your little sprout packet

in a dark spot for a few days then move them into the light so chlorophyll develops. Some good seeds to use are mung beans, bean sprouts, and mixed broccoli and radish seeds.

Store garden seeds between seasons

Even without a desiccant, a coffee filter can be stored with seeds to keep them moisture free between growing seasons.

Strain soup stock and broths

In a survival situation, you will not want to waste anything food wise. After boiling up food scraps, strain the broth for a nice rich soup stock that can be consumed as is or used as a base for another meal.

Make a Bouquet Garni

Bundle herbs and spices into a coffee filter, tie it off, and add to your soups and broths as a nifty way of seasoning your homemade creation.

Keep glass surfaces clean

Coffee filters are lint-free so your glass surfaces will sparkle after they are cleaned. If you have some – and you should – add a little vinegar to water and use this combo as a cleaning solution. (But use only water and soap on eye glasses – no vinegar please. See above.)

Make coffee!

Lest I forget, don’t forget to use your filters for making coffee. If all you have is a pot, some ground coffee and water, boil it up and filter the resulting brew into your cup. Not exactly a Starbucks experience, but if you are a coffee addict, it will be delicious none the less.

We generally tend to think of coffee filters as a great way to, well, make coffee!

In reality, as this list shows, they are perfect for many, many different uses.

To see even more uses for coffee filters, please check out Absolute Rights.