If you like your every cup of tea to be full of flavor and aroma, chances are you brew your teabag only once. This is perfectly understandable but don’t ditch that used teabag right away!
An already brewed teabag can be used in so many wonderful ways, from soothing puffy eyes to zapping bad odor. If you love tea — black, green, white, oolong or herbal — you will also surely love the various uses for used teabags. Read on.
Flavor Grains and Pasta
Before you dunk uncooked oatmeal, rice or pasta in boiling water, allow used chamomile, jasmine, green or any flavorful bag of tea to steep in it for a while. Remove just before placing the grains or pasta into the boiling water. Although the added taste will be faint, it will be enough to excite your taste buds.
Neutralize Bad Odors
The simple stashing of used tea bags in the fridge is enough to eliminate any unwanted lingering smell in there. It’s a great idea to add the contents of used teabags to your cat litter to minimize bad odors. You may place used and dry teabags at the bottom of trash bins and ashtrays to keep any room free of bad odors.
Deodorize Smelly Hands
Washing with soap and water is usually not enough to remove the smell of fish, garlic or onion in your hands. A quick way to deodorize your smelly hands is by thoroughly scrubbing them with the contents of a used teabag. Other than zapping bad odors, it will also provide exfoliating action that softens the hands.
Soothing and Anti-Aging Bath
In a tub filled with warm water, dunk some used teabags. Submerge your body in the water and enjoy the luxurious bath. Antioxidants in tea will help protect the skin cells from free radicals, keeping it glowing with youth and beauty. Using chamomile teabags is a great idea if you want to de-stress.
Eliminate Mouth Bacteria
Alcohol-based mouthwashes sting and they leave your mouth dry. Steeping a used teabag in a cup of hot water and allowing it to cool to room temperature makes for an effective all-natural mouthwash that helps eliminate plaque and bad breath. Opting for green or peppermint tea is a wonderful idea.
Condition Lifeless Hair
Not happy with your lifeless mane? Undergo deep conditioning with the help of used teabags. Simply brew used teabags in a cup of hot water. Allow to cool to room temperature. Shampoo as usual and rinse. Use the weak tea as a final rinse. Massage it into your scalp and hair, then towel dry.
Soften and Deodorize Feet
Fill a small basin with hot water and allow some used teabags to steep in it. When the water is already lukewarm, soak your feet in it. Use the contents of the teabags to scrub your feet with once the water is cold. To get rid of smelly feet, opt for green tea because it has really powerful antibacterial properties.
Remove Eye Bags and Dark Circles
Allow a pair of used teabags to chill in the fridge for a few minutes. Lie down and place them over your tired and puffy eyes. Tannins in tea will constrict the blood vessels to remove the swelling. It’s a good idea to let the teabags stay there for at least 15 minutes to obtain noticeable results.
Minimize the Appearance of Bruises
Banged a part of your body against a hard surface and worried that a nasty bruise will show up? Fret not. Grab some used bags of black tea that have been sitting in the fridge for a while. Leave them over the injured areas for a few minutes. Tannins in black tea help constrict the blood vessels and keep bruising to a minimum.
Clean Glass and Mirrors
Ditch those cleaners with harsh chemicals and simply wipe damp used teabags on glass and mirrors. Compounds in tea help break down oil and grease, leaving the surface of glass and mirrors clean and shiny especially after buffing them with a soft and dry rag. Don’t forget to remove the staple wires on the bags beforehand to prevent scratches.
Serve Stronger Tea
If you’re craving for really strong tea, brew a fresh teabag together with a used one in a hot cup of water. Doing so will add extra flavor and aroma to the serving. Make a cup more interesting by brewing a used bag containing tea different from the fresh one. Every tea time should be exciting!
