You may never look at tea the same way again after reading this post! Tea can be used for more than an afternoon indulgence since it has applications from beauty to the garden! If you are like me and have an overabundance of tea bags or only use a tea bag once then you may just find some money-saving ways to put those extra tea bags to good use!
1. Relieve Tired Eyes
Spending too many late nights indulging your night owl or too much time in front of a computer screen? Get rid of the puffiness and aching eyes by places tea bags soaked in warm water on your eyes. Leave for 20 minutes.
2. Sparkling Mirrors
If you’ve ever left your tea bag in your cup for too long and allowed it to cool… don’t dump it! Just get a cloth, soak it in the tea, and wipe down your mirrors. It will leave them shining.
3. Sunburn Relief
Take the sting out of painful sunburns with a soaked and cooled tea bag or add tea bags to a bath to take the sting out of widespread burns. This can help relieve other types of burns too!
4. Foot Odor
Soaking your feet in strong brewed tea for 20 minutes will make it easier for people to sit next to you.
5. Wood Cleaning
Brew a few tea bags in a liter of water and allow to cool. Soak it up with a cloth or sponge and wring out the excess. Now you are ready to clean and shine your wood furniture and flooring.
6. Better Garden Roses
Add used or new, bagged or loose, tea leaves around your rosebushes. Roses bloom with tannic acid, which occurs naturally in tea, so when it rains or you water your plants then the tannic acid is released in the soil.
7. Give Fabric and Antique Look
Add two tea bags to two cups of boiling water. Allow to steep for around 20 minutes and allow to cool off. Then add white fabric, lace, or any other material you want to give an “old” look to and allow to soak. The longer you soak the material the darker it will become.
8. Compost Piles
Add strongly brewed tea to your compost pile to create an acid rich compost.
9. Water Your Ferns
Ferns love to be guests at tea parties. Next time you are having a cup of tea, make one for your ferns or other house plants which thrive on acid rich soil. Simply water your plant with the tea.
10. Tenderize Tough Meat
Earl Grey will work overtime and English Breakfast will help out with dinner using this trick. Steep black tea in hot, but not boiling, water for five minutes. Add brown sugar until it dissolves. Then pour over seasoned meat and bake in the oven until it falls off the fork.
11. Relief for Bleeding Gums
To relieve pain after a tooth is lost or pulled, soak a tea bag in cold water and apply directly to the painful area.
12. Boil Draining
Place a soaked tea bag on a boil overnight and a boil should drain without pain.
13. Shiny Hair
Use unsweetened tea as a final rinse after shampooing to give hair an extra boost of shine.
14. Potpourri
Add some dry tea leaves to sachet bags for an inexpensive and sweet smelling potpourri. You can also add a few drops of essential oils too
15. Cleaning the Fireplace
Sprinkle wet tea leaves on fireplace ashes to reduce blowing dust when scooping them up.
16. Prevent Dizziness
Black tea may reduce dizziness when standing up since the tea boosts blood pressure. So, if you find yourself seeing stars from just standing up then try some black tea to find some balance.
17. Painting
Yes, you can paint with tea. Brew strong black tea and paint on white paper. It is fun for the kids!
18. Acne Cure
Wash your face with green tea to kick acne to the curb.
19. Cure Bad Breath
Gargle with tea to help get rid of bad breath.
20. Bind up a Broken Nail
Now that you have several empty tea bags on your hands you may be wondering what could you do with them. You can salvage a broken nail by cutting to fit a tea bag over the nail and then applying nail polish.
Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please confirm any information obtained from or through this web site with other sources, and review all information regarding any medical condition or treatment with your physician. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment because of something you have read on this website. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease.
Wow! Rachel I just found your site and I am so delighted with the info on so many good stuff, I am hooked. Thank you so much.
This is an almost guaranteed green tea use: Brew some green tea (remember do not EVER use boiling water on green tea or white tea, so add some ice before steeping). Then steep the green tea for approximately 2 minutes and place the hot green tea bag on a fresh mosquito bite (the tea must be hot and the bite must have happened recently) the itching will stop in under 5 minutes and the bite will vanish in about an hour. This has also been used on other bites with good results!