There are lots of things to do with them
In the quest to eliminate sodas from your life, you may have transitioned to drinking tea. Along with it's numerous health benefits, you may be acquiring a large stash of used tea bags, or more likely you are just throwing them in the trash. Here are a couple of ideas that will give your used teabags renewed usefulness, and delay their trip to the local landfill.
PERSONAL CARE
1. Soothe tired eyes.
Just place a chilled used tea bag over your closed eyes until the puffiness subsides. You can also use warm, wet teabags as a compress to soothe the pain of pinkeye. Bonus tip: Place teabags on your eyes for 15 minutes and reduce under eye circles.
2. Make canker sores feel better.
Chill a used tea bag in the freezer. Once it’s cold, place it on your canker sore. The cold plus the tea’s healing properties will help your sore feel better faster.
3. Heal sunburned skin.
Throw used tea bags in a bath and soak in it after a long day in the sun. The cooling and calming effects of the tea will provide relief.
4. Stop a minor nick from bleeding.
When a kitchen injury strikes while slicing and dicing, staunch the blood flow fast by saturating a black tea bag with hot water, then holding it against the injury for 30 seconds. The tannins in the tea will quickly clot the blood so you can cover the cut with a bandage and get back to whipping up your delicious dinner.
5. Put a soaked tea bag on a bruise to heal it faster.
Ruptured capillaries, the smallest blood vessels in the body, create bruises. The tannins will constrict blood vessels which will stop the blood flow that causes bruising.
AROUND THE HOUSE
6. Clean the house.
Re-steep your used tea bags in cold water to make a weak tea. Use this mixture to scrub linoleum or countertops. Additionally, use the teabags to rub furniture and floor scratches to make them disappear.
7. Fertilize your plants.
Used tea bags make a great addition to any compost pile! Don't have a compost pile? Used tea bags can be nestled in your potted plants to help protect them from drying out between waterings.
8. Kill dust mites.
Carefully spray diluted black tea on the carpet to kill dust mites. Color-test the tea first in an inconspicuous spot.
IN THE KITCHEN
9. Tenderize a tough cut of meat.
The secret to tender, juicy skirt and flank steaks: Steep four or five black tea bags in 1 cup of water for 10 minutes, then combine with an equal amount o of double-strength beef stock (homemade or store-bought) and marinate the meat in the mixture for 20 minutes. The teas tannins will break down fiber that make the beef tough.
10. Rust-proof your cast-iron cookware.
Guarantee your trusty skillet stays rust-free by wiping it with a damp. used black tea bag after every cooking session. The tea's tannins will coat the pan with an invisible protective layer that prevents rust-causing oxidation.
16 Further Uses for Tea!
There's nothing like a hot cup of tea, especially on a cold day. Not only does tea warm the body and give us inner peace, it also fights cancer, lowers the risk of stroke and helps our cells fight aging. However, if you thought that is where the usefulness of this drink ends, you are sorely mistaken...
Here are 16 other things that you can do with tea:
1. Tired Eyes
Tired and red eyes can be caused by irritation, too much crying or simple tierdness. While ice bages or cucumber slices are a workable solution, tea bage get you the same results but are also warm and pleasant. Put them in hot water, allow them to cool a bit and then place them on the eyelids like a compress.
2. Improving the taste of meat
Meat tastes great when properly cooked, but when not, it can become stale, hard and dry. Here is an effective solution to the problem: Use used tea bags to make a marinada that will restroe its flavor. Soaking hard meat in black tea can also soften it again.
3. Cleaning wood surfaces
Tea can be a great and gentle cleaning material for wood floors and surfaces. Wipe the wood surfaces or furniture with a clean cloth soaked in cool tea water, then use a clean and dry towel to prevent stains.
4. Removing fat and dirt
The astringency of the tea will reduce the fatty buildup in pots and pans. Just soak the used tea bag in the container you wish to clean.
5. Cleaning Rugs
Clean moldy and dirty rugs by spreading some used (dry) tea leaves on it. Leave them be for 10 minutes and then vacuum the rug. If these are delicate carpets, you can brush the tea leaves gently away.
6. Cleaning fatty fingerprints from glass
Tea can remove those pesky fingerprints from gladd, and make it shine. Just rub a moist tea bag on the glass surface, then use a spray bottle filled with tea water and wipe.
7. Cleaning the toilet
Use tea to remove stubborn stains in the bottom of the toilet. Soak several bags of tea for several hours in the toilet water and then remove them gently and brush the sides.
8. Getting rid of fish smell
To get rid of that overpowering smell of fish, wash your hands in tea water.
9. Air freshener
Bags of tea can absorb those bad odors in the pantry, in your shoes or in your car. Put a few tea bags on a tray and put them in the closet, shoe or car. Let them absorb the odors.
10. Getting rid of bad foot odor
If you suffer from stinky feet, soak them for 20 minutes in a tea bath. Use black tea for extreme caes. The stringency in the tea will close the sweat glands that give off the smell and that tanins will kill the bacteria.
11. Removing warts and blisters
Soak a tea bag in water and put it on the blister for 20-30 minutes. Make sure to throw away the bag afterwards.
12. Diminishing efates.
Get your mouth wounds to heal faster by gently biting a used tea bag. The healing powers of the tea will reduce the pain, shring the blood vessels and stop the bleeding.
13. Treating burns
If you suffer from a really bad case of acne or irritated skin from a burn or sun tanning, use used tea bags to bring relief. Wash the areas burnt with a cold tea bag, but if most of the skin needs it, make a bath of tea water
14. Treat acne
Many find that washing your face with a cool brew of green tea is an effective soltion for acne.
15. Avoiding fleas
To turn back fleas from your dog or cat, spread some dry and used tea leaves around the place they sleep.
16. Softening and dying your hair
Washing your hair with a cup of tea can make it shiny and soft to the touch. However, if your hair is light colored, it may turn it darker, which is perfect if you want to dye it.
