Chicago Home and Lifestyles – Recycle tea bags
We are all eager to reuse everything we can and to especially use something natural! Tea has natural antioxidants as well as deodorizing properties. Here are several ways to use those spent tea bags.
- Clean pots and pans. Add a used tea bag to soaking water for pans. It will loosen grease and hardened food.
- Water your plants. Rebrew some tea with a used bag, cool and use to water plants. It has antifungal properties.
- Neutralize odors. Place dried used tea leaves in smelly places like garbage bags and litter boxes. It deodorizes naturally. Sprinkle dried leaves on the carpet before vacuuming for similar reasons.
- Add used bags to your bath. The antioxidants are good for your skin and the warm water will bring a soothing scent from the tea.
- Remove odors on your hands. Rub a tea bag on your hands like soap. It will remove smells like onion, garlic and fish.
- Add to cooking rice or grains. Chai tea is great with oatmeal and jasmine tea works with rice. Try different flavors like lemon tea when braising fish.
- Tea is great for your hair. Soak 4 tea bags in warm water and rinse your hair. It removes product buildup naturally. Use teas according to hair color. Black tea gives brunettes a coppery shimmer and chamomile brightens blonde hair.
- Tea is also anti-inflammatory. Take used tea bags and add hot water. Cool and use with a soft towel as a compress for bug bites and sunburn.
- Use cool tea bags on your eyes like cucumbers. Tea leaves have tannins that may reduce dark circles and bags.
- Clean leather shoes by buffing with a damp tea bag.
Do you have any other uses for tea bags?
Kathleen Weaver-Zech and Dean’s Team Chicago
