16 Genius Reasons To Keep Your Old Tea Bags

16 Genius Reasons To Keep Your Old Tea Bags

Being sustainable and eco-friendly means using things that you already have available to you, including used tea bags. To many people think that tea bags are a one-time deal; one bag is one cup of tea, right? Not exactly! You will be happy to know you can find several uses for used tea bags.

So many items in our house have more than one use. Here are a few ways that you can reuse pre-brewed tea bags. You might be surprised!

16 Uses for Used Tea Bags

• Brew Stronger Tea

If you like the taste of strong tea, saving your used tea bag is smart. You can add a second bag to your brew. One used tea bag won’t create a strong cup of tea, but adding a second bag with your new one will. It works with any of tea, but green and red varieties do the best with this method. if you love tea then check out 8 Wild Teas Every Survivalist Should Know

• Antioxidant Bath

Taking a tea bag is a relaxing way to spend the evening, and tea bags are rich in antioxidants. The antioxidants will help to get rid of the toxins in your body, leaving your skin feeling soft and hydrated. Plus, if you use calming teas like chamomile or jasmine, they can help you relax and prepare to go to sleep.

• Garden Feed

Put all of your used tea bags into a buck and let them steep in a bucket of water. Use this water to feed your plants. It helps to protect them against fungal infections. Another choice is to open up the used tea bags and sprinkle the leaves around the base of your plants. Doing so fertilizes the soil and stops garden pests from eating your plants.

• Draw Out Infections

Place warm, pre-brewed tea bags on skin that has canker sores, pinkeye, fever blister, or other similar infections. Doing so helps to draw out the infection while getting rid of the pain and quickening the healing process.

• Reduce Undereye Bags

One of the most well-known ways to reuse used tea bags is for those pesky undereye circles. Used tea bags can reduce puffiness and dark circles that surround your eyes after a bad night’s rest. Put the tea bags in the refrigerator to let them cool, and then place the bags on your eyes for several minutes.

Not only does this feel amazing, but the caffeine in the tea bags help to shrink blood vessels around your eyes. It’ll make you feel more refreshed.

• Deodorize Carpet and Rugs

You can pick the scent out of your carpets with tea bags. Keep the used tea bags in the refrigerator in a cup of water to stop them from spoiling. Open the tea bags and sprinkle them over the carpet. Leave them to dry on the carpet then vacuum them up.

Being sustainable and eco-friendly means using things that you already have available to you, including used tea bags. To many people think that tea bags are a one-time deal; one bag is one cup of tea, right? Not exactly! You will be happy to know you can find several uses for used tea bags.

So many items in our house have more than one use. Here are a few ways that you can reuse pre-brewed tea bags. You might be surprised!

• Soothe a Sunburn

No matter how cautious you are, sunburn can happen. A used tea bag can help soothe your sunburned skin and reduce the inflammation. You can spray the tea on your skin or rub a used tea bag over your sunburn.

• Treat Rashes & Bug Bites

Tea bags can relieve minor rashes and bug bites. Take a cooled, damp tea bag and apply it to the rash or bug bite. Using a tea bag helps to reduce inflammation and also relieve the annoying itching.

• Polish Wood Surfaces

You don’t want to use strong tea on your wood floors and furniture, but you can use weak tea. Take a few of your used tea bags and soak them in warm water to make a weak tea. Then, use a soft rag or a microfiber cloth to wipe your wood surfaces. You’ll be surprised at how well this solution gets your wood shining.

• Firestarter

Using old tea bags for a firestarter is a creative way to use them. First, you have to dry out the tea bags entirely. Squeeze and wring all of the tea out of the bags, then let them out to dry thoroughly. Next, dip the dried tea bags into melted wax, like you would for a soy candle wax. They can be used once the wax has hardened up.

• Add to the Compost Pile

Tea bags are an easy addition to your compost pile. Tea bags are considered a “green material” and fall under the nitrogen category for compost additions. This is one of the easiest ways to use a tea bag again since you just have to toss it in the compost pile.

 

• Get Rid of Household Odors

Used tea bags can help get the odors out of your house. Keep some used tea bags in your refrigerator to soak up the odors. You can put dried used tea leaves in cat litter. Put them in the trash can to help soak up the odors.

• Kick Household Pests

Did you know that mice don’t like the smell of tea? You can place used tea bags in cupboards or pantries, or wherever pests might enter your home. Another idea is to saturate the tea bags with peppermint essential oil, which is another scent that pests don’t like. This combination will help with spiders and ants as well.

• Soothe Irritated Skin

Tea bags have a way of soothing irritated skin. Take a cool pre-moistened tea bag and place it on your tired, sore eyes. You can massage the tea bag over sunburn to cool the skin. Place the tea bags on bruises to reduce the discomfort and speed up the healing process.

• Homemade Glass Cleaner

Did you know that you can use old tea bags to make a homemade glass cleaner? Rebrew the tea bags and spray the weak tea onto windows, mirrors, and any glass surface. The tea helps to loosen up dirt and grime. Wipe clean with a lint-free cloth to reduce streaks and dust particles.

• Dye Cloth and Paper

Do you want to dye some paper to make pretend, old parchment for a project? Would you like to dye a white cloth or tablecloth a nice warm brown? All you need to do is steep some used tea bags in a pot of water. Dip the paper into the water or soak the fabric in the tea!