10 Fantastic Uses for Paper Coffee Filters

Melitta Bentz loved to drink coffee. But she didn't like the bitter taste a pot of coffee acquired when it was brewed too long. So Bentz, who was a German housewife, invented paper coffee filters. The filters were patented in June of 1908, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Paper coffee filters have many advantages. They are easy to find, cheap to buy and, they're lint free. These benefits make coffee filters handy to have around your house, even if you don't brew coffee! Here are 10 fantastic uses for paper coffee filters:

1. Give Windows, Mirrors and Chrome a Brilliant Shine
Use paper coffee filters and your favorite glass cleaner, and your windows, mirrors and chrome will sparkle. Since coffee filters don't leave lint behind, you won't see specks of paper on the glass and chrome surfaces.

2. Shine Up Your Leather Shoes and Boots
Have you ever dressed up, put on a good pair of shoes or boots, and noticed that your footwear is dirty? Dampen a paper coffee filter and shine them up in no time. You can use a second filter to dry each shoe.

3. Dust Wood Furniture and Knick Knacks
Another fantastic use for paper coffee filters is to dust your furniture and knick knacks with them. These filters are gentle enough to use on most any material.

4. Keep Your Cast Iron Skillets Clean and Dry
The next time you wash and season your cast iron skillet, place a couple paper coffee filters inside it before you put it away in the cupboard. The filters will help keep your skillet clean and dry so it doesn't rust.

5. Protect Fragile Christmas Ornaments
I store my fragile Christmas ornaments in sturdy boxes that contain many partitioned sections. The individual sections keep my decorations from rubbing together and becoming scratched or otherwise damaged. But, the ornaments still bounced around and rubbed on the sides whenever I moved the box. The solution? I wrapped a paper coffee filter around each ornament to further protect them from harm.