Most of us use a tea bag to brew our cup and then throw it in the trash. Believe it or not, those used tea bags are useful for many things. Thanks to the special properties of the tea itself, those handy little sachets have a life after the cup.
Black teas contain a lot of tannic acids. Tannic acids can do a lot to help us out when we’ve had too much sun, stayed out too late or been careless in the kitchen.
To treat sunburn, either apply wet tea bags directly to the sunburned area or cool a batch of strong brewed tea and sponge it on the inflamed area. The tannic acid in the tea will help calm the inflammation caused by too much sun. Some people even report avoiding peeling if they treat soon after overexposure.
When you’ve burned that candle at both ends there’s no need to look like it. Sooth tired puffy eyes with damp black tea bags. Always treat the eye area gently. Pat, damp teabags against swollen eyes, or sit back for a few minutes and let them rest there. Once again, tannins to the rescue, irritation will subside and your tired eyes will be soothed. Be careful not to fall asleep!
For the relief of minor burns from those little mishaps in the kitchen, apply a damp tea bag to the burn and let the magic of tannic acid do its work. Keep sealed a jar of used tea bags in your refrigerator for these remedies.
Tea is an amazing household helper. It can help you wash dishes, kill off the nasty smell in your shoes, shine your bathroom mirror and take cooking odors out of your skin.
Try this next time your hubby kicks off a pair of shoes and you’re hit by that funk, place dry tea bags inside those smelly shoes before you put them away. The tea will combat that nasty foot odor.
When your bathroom mirror bears water spots and toothpaste flecks, tea can help you out in a hurry. Brew up a little strong tea and saturate a cleaning cloth with it. Wipe away all that residue and dry the glass thoroughly. You’ll be left with a sparkling view.
We all have days that are so busy they don’t leave time for basic household chores. When you’ve left your dishes too long, tea can help you out. Instead of scrubbing at the crusty mess for hours, throw a few tea bags in the sink with your dishes and soak them for a few hours or even overnight. You’ll have time to do other neglected tasks, binge watch a season or get some precious sleep. When you come back to those dishes the mess will wipe away effortlessly.
Every cook knows that onions and garlic are wonderful aromatic additions to many dishes. The problem is, your hands take on their more pungent, uncooked scents when your prep them for use. Many cooks recommend using tea to get rid of those signature odors. Simply substitute a tea bag for the soap when you wash your hands and those volatile compounds will rinse away.
Tea is even great for personal care. Sore bleeding gums after a dental visit and flaky scalp will both succumb to the charms of a good black tea while green tea combats the growth of warts.
If the dentist leaves your mouth raw, apply damp tea bags to swollen bloody gums in place of gauze pads. Blood will clot quickly and the tannins in your tea will help to reduce swelling.
Brew up some black tea to use as a hair and scalp tonic. Steep tea for about an hour, then pour over your hair, taking the time to do a thorough massage session for your scalp. You hair will shine and flakes will be a thing of the past.
For a home brewed wart remedy use bags of green tea. Press a cold, wet tea bag to the offending growth and use a wrap to hold it in place for 15 minutes. When that time is up, repeat with a fresh tea bag. The tea will provide antioxidants that will inhibit the wart’s growth.
Finally, when you have used your tea bags at least twice, take them to the garden and bury them around your roses. The hard working bags will enjoy their final resting place while the flowers benefit from the tea as it inhibits fungal growth in the soil around the bush. Recycled tea bags are a thing of beauty. Enjoy your tea.
