21 Uses for Used Tea Bags

21 Uses for Used Tea Bags

Drinking tea has many health benefits but could it be possible there are some great uses for those used tea bags?

1.) Do you have dark circles under your eyes or are they looking a bit puffy today? Place a chilled tea bag on your closed eyes and let the puffiness recede. Placing them on your eyes for about 15 minutes can reduce those nasty circles under your eyes as well!
If pinkeye is going around your house try placing warm, wet teabags on your closed eyes as a compress to help soothe the pain.

2.) Sun burns can be extremely painful and make you incredibly uncomfortable. Ease the pain by tossing a few used tea bags into the bathtub and let yourself relax in it for relief after a day in the hot sun. The tea provides calming and cooling effects.

3.) Heal bruises faster by placing a soaked tea bag on it. The tannins in the tea constrict the blood vessels which in turn will stop the blood flow that is causing the bruising.

4.) Tannin is also helpful in treating nasty plantar warts. Take a warmed wet tea bag and press it right on the area for 10 to 15 minutes and let the skin air dry naturally. Repeat this for a few days, and eventually the wart will completely disappear.

5.) If you have an itchy mosquito bite or a bee sting place a damp tea bag on the bite and keep it on like a compress. The tea will bring relieve and promote healing as well as reduce inflammation.

6.) Create a do-it-yourself-at-home facial using tea bags. Just place a used tea bag in a bowl of hot water and put your face above the bowl with your head covered with a towel to hold in the steam. The tannins and antioxidants in the tea will reduce puffiness and tighten your pores, leaving your face refreshed and glowing.

7.) If your hands smell like onions or fish or other food odors after cooking that wonderful dinner, try rinsing them with water and a brewed tea bag to get rid of those clingy odors.

8.) It always seems like the little cuts and nicks tend to be the ones that bleed the most. Stop the bleeding and relieve some of the sting by pressing a wet tea bag onto the cut.

9.) Is your skin looking dry and needs a little refresher? Place some tea bags into the tub and run your bathwater over them. Relax in an restoring, indulgent soak that will leave your skin incredible soft. If you have green tea the antioxidants in it are extremely effective for rehydrating the skin.

10.) Did you accidentally end up in poison ivy? Dip a cotton ball in strongly brewed tea and lightly dab it on the poison ivy spots on your skin to dry it out the weepy rash.

11.) A toothache or canker sore can be hard to deal with. Try warming a brewed tea bag and taking the leaves out of it. Roll the leaves up in a scrap piece of fabric and use it like a compress for those painful aches and sores.

12.) Serve your guests a nice juicy steak. Just take 4 black tea bags and let them sit in 1 cup of water for about 10 minutes. Next, combine that with a cup of double strength beef stock. Allow the steak to marinate in the mixture for 20 – 25 minutes.

13.) If its your turn to cook the Thanksgiving turkey this year try this trick: add a brewed tea bag and 1 cup of water to the turkey pan. You will wow your family and friends with an deliciously moist turkey. The tannin is adds a unique and delicious flavor as well as being a natural meat tenderizer.

14.) If your completely out of baking soda and need something to clean that odor out of your fridge simply place a fresh brewed tea bag in the fridge.

15.) For those hard to clean greasy dishes soak them over night with a few already brewed teabags and some hot water. By morning the tannins will have broken down the grease.

16.) Get those nice dark leather shoes clean by simply taking a damp already brewed tea bag and rub it on the leather in a circular motion.

17.) Let your mirrors shine and sparkle by cleaning then with cooled, twice brewed tea as an awesome cleaner. Dip a cloth in the tea cleaner and clean off all that grime and dirt. Then simply buff it dry with a soft dry cloth.

18.) Deodorize carpets or your pets bedding. Allow several brewed tea bags to completely dry. Then empty the dry contents on the smelly surface and allow it to sit for about 10 minutes. Next, simply vacuum up the tea and leave behind the fresh sent of tea.

19.) This winter when your ready to clean your fire place sprinkle some wet tea leaves all over the area to keep the dust from the ashes from rising.

20.) Give your acid-loving plants a little boost. Sprinkle some used tea leaves around your beautiful rose bushes. Cover the tea leaves with mulch and it will give your roses a midsummer boost. Ferns are another acid-loving plant. Take some wet tea leaves and work them into the soil to give the plants a luxuriously lush look. When watering your ferns, you can occasionally substitute the water with brewed tea.

21.) Decrease the time it takes for your compost pile to decompose by pouring 2 to 3 cups of strong brewed tea onto the pile. This will also greatly enrich the compost.