There is nothing more relaxing than that good old cup of tea! No matter what flavor you prefer, it always makes the day better!
- 1. Add Flavor to Pasta & Grains
- 2. Feed Your garden
- 3. Refresh Your Carpets
- 4. Hydrate and Soften Your Dry Skin
- 5. Steaming Your Pores
- 6. Rust Proof Your Cast Iron Cookware
- 7. DIY Air Freshener
- 8. Deter Household Pest
- 9. Deodorizing Hand Scrub
- 10. Decreasing Dirty Dishes
- 11. Antioxidant Bath
- 12. Eliminate Bad Breath
- 13. Soothe Irritated Skin
- 14. Conditioning Your Hair
- 15. Draw Out Infections
- 16. Use Them To Make Homemade Glass Cleaner
- 17. Re-Use Tea bags To Reduce The Under Eye Circles
- 18. Tenderize Tough Meat
- 19. Shrink A Wart
- 20. Stop A Cut From Bleeding
- 21. Dye Naturally
However when you’re done, don’t throw away that used tea bag! There are several great ways you can make good use of the loose tea leaf! Just like coffee grounds and coffee filters… used tea bags and tea grounds can be utilized for many purposes, such as:
- Adding flavor to pasta grains
- Neutralizing household odors
- De-greasing dirty dishes!
Used tea bags are a great tool for saving time and money! More below…
Tea is one of the most widely consumed beverage in the world, next to water. This is because drinking tea has been one of the best things in this world since 2700 B.C.
Not only is it one of the world’s favorite beverage, tea has many benefits outside the cup.
It has been used for many centuries as beauty staple and health uses thanks to its rich tanning and antioxidant content. Tea drinkers should check on the following items to learn more about the many uses of tea bags.
1. Add Flavor to Pasta & Grains
Once you have used the tea bags to brew your cup of tea, you can re-use the tea bags to add flavor to other foods.
Hang the used tea bags into the water while it comes to a boil, this will flavor the water. After a few minutes remove the tea bags and add rice, pasta or other grains from boiling water.
2. Feed Your garden
Herbal tea has many benefits for your garden. When you add the tea leaves to the compost heap or compost pile, it will have a tremendous boost on the nutrient content.
Re-brewing the used bag in a large container such as a bucket and use this solution to water your plants. This will protect your plants from fungal infection.
Additionally, opening up the used tea bags and sprinkling the contents around the base of the plants will give the plant the necessary nutrients and deter pests such as mice.
3. Refresh Your Carpets
Open the tea bags, sprinkle the contents together with some baking soda onto the smelly, dingy carpet, and allow them to sit for 20-25 minutes.
Remember to let the tea leaves inside the bags to dry. Tea and baking soda will absorb the bad order, leaving your carpets smelling super fresh, and clean.
4. Hydrate and Soften Your Dry Skin
Tea can be used to hydrate and soften dry skin. Let the tea bags to cool down and brew it in another container. You can apply this solution to your cleansed face to soothe the dry skin.
Any kind of tea can serve this purpose but the antioxidants in green tea are more effective in rehydrating your skin.
5. Steaming Your Pores
Take the used green tea bags, place them into a large bowl of hot water, and place your face over the bowl for five to ten minutes.
This will open your pores and allow the great antioxidant properties of the tea to get in to help in toning and hydrating your skin.
6. Rust Proof Your Cast Iron Cookware
You can take the used tea bags to wipe the surface of your cast iron cookware after every use.
The compounds in the tea will coat the cookware with a protective layer that wards off the rust causing oxidation.
7. DIY Air Freshener
Dry the used tea bags and add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to the tea bags.
Besides bringing a lovely fragrance in your home, office or car, the bags will absorb the bad odors.
Most of tea bags come with a string; use it to hang them around the house, car or office.
8. Deter Household Pest
Pests such as mice do not like the smell of tea. Take some of the used tea bags and tuck them into pantries, cupboards and areas where the pest may enter your home.
You can enhance this by saturating the tea bags with peppermint essential oils. This combination will produce peppermint tea bags that can get rid of other pests such as spiders and ants.
9. Deodorizing Hand Scrub
You can use the pre-brewed tea bags to scrub and remove the lingering scents on your hands. This is useful after handling foods such as onions, garlic, and fish.
10. Decreasing Dirty Dishes
Used tea bags acts as a good medium to break up grease on your utensils.
Instead of using the harsh chemicals to break up the grease, add the already brewed tea bags to warm water and soak your dishes.
The tea will also help in loosening any stuck food, saving you from the endless scrubbing.
11. Antioxidant Bath
Tealeaves contain lots of antioxidants. When you bath in water that has been stepped with used tea bags, it will have great benefits to your skin.
You can hag the bags over the faucets and let the water to run over them or drop them in your water to create a nourishing tea bag.
Using some of the fragrant tea that has Jasmine for an aromatherapy or chamomile tea that relaxes your whole body while you bathe is more beneficial to your body.
12. Eliminate Bad Breath
The used tea bags are effective in making a all-natural breath freshening mouth.
The mouthwash does not necessarily have to be strong, use a couple of used teabag and make a weak tea to use as mouthwash.
Although this may work with many varieties of tea, green and peppermint tea tends to work best.
13. Soothe Irritated Skin
Place the used tea bags in your refrigerator and use them to sooth your irritated skin. Use the cold and moist tea bags to massage areas with sunburns.
This will cool the skin and reduce the inflammation. Placing them against bruises will also ease the discomfort and help to speed the healing process.
Additionally, rubbing the tea bags over bites and stings may help to draw out the toxins as well as lessening pain and swelling.
14. Conditioning Your Hair
Tea has a great conditioning effect to your hair. Use the already brewed tea bags and brew weak tea.
You can use this tea to nourish and condition your hair. This conditioning will also keep your scalp healthy.
15. Draw Out Infections
Tea is also a great substance that helps in drawing skin infections.
Place the warm and moist tea bags on areas of your skin that are affected by pinkeye, canker sores, plantar warts, fever blisters, or any other similar infections.
The tea will also help in reducing the pain and speeding the recovery process.
16. Use Them To Make Homemade Glass Cleaner
Re-brew the used tea bags and spray this weak tea on mirrors, windows and other glass surface. The tea will loosen up the dirt, fingerprints, grime and other gunk.
Use a clean, lint free cloth to wipe it away; this will minimize streaks and other dust particles.
17. Re-Use Tea bags To Reduce The Under Eye Circles
Place the used teabags in a refrigerator to cool and place them under your eyes. Compress the cold tea bags on the surface of your eyes.
This will help in eliminating the dark circles under your eyes. The caffeine present in the tealeaves shrinks the blood vessels around the eyes, reducing the puffy and dark appearance. It can also help you with tired eyes and puffy eyes.
The tea antioxidant properties also help to stimulate good blood circulation.
18. Tenderize Tough Meat
When you marinate your meat with black tea, it will become very soft and melt easily in your mouth.
Place about four used tea bags in a pot of warm water and let it to stay at least five minutes. You can combine this with a cup of brown sugar for more effective results.
Place your seasoned meat in an oven and pour this mixture over it then cook until the meat is tender.
19. Shrink A Wart
Tea has been used as a home wart removal remedy for many generations. Research shows that the antioxidant properties found in green tea are effective in inhibiting the growth of warts.
Place a cool and already brewed tea bag on a wart and use a tape or bandage to secure it.
After ten minutes remove the tea bag, replace it with a second bag, and let it stay for about fifteen minutes. After a few days, the wart will turn black and fall off.
20. Stop A Cut From Bleeding
Do you have a tendency of cutting yourself while shaving? Instead of getting a Band-Aid, place a used tea bag on the bleeding area and hold it until the injured area stops to bleed.
The idea behind is that tea bag to stop excessive bleeding is that the tannin in the tea accelerates blood clotting making the wounds to heal faster.
21. Dye Naturally
Lastly, you can use several used teabags to brew a strong pot of tea and use it to use as beautiful dye.
You can use this tea to dye some cardstock and make beautiful paper for event invitation. You can also use tea as unconventional dye for Easter eggs.
The strong tea may also be used as a watercolor paint to create beautiful designs. Additionally, you can use the weak tea to turn the boring white paper into antique, special toned parchment.
You can also use it to dye white cloth in shade of pale green, warm brown or orange.
Most of these uses require you to store a few used tea bags until they are enough to use them.
You can only keep the moist tea bags at room temperature for a day at the most. However, if you need more bags, you need to refrigerate them to prevent bacterial and mold growth.