Used Tea bags- various uses
Tea is a favorite beverage for many across
the world. It comes in a variety of flavors and you can even make herbal
teas if you're not a fan of caffeine. Using tea bags is surely the
quickest and easiest way to enjoy your tea. Believe it or not, teabags
are actually multipurpose items. Not only are they a fast way to get an
energy boost, but they also have a multitude of other uses in your
garden and your home. You can get rid of foul odors, puffy skin, and
even pain with used tea bags. That's how versatile tea bags are. So the
next time you make yourself a cup of tea, recycle that tea bag in any of
the following ways.
1. Tenderize your meat
As strange as it sounds, tea bags are an excellent substitute for more
expensive meat-softeners like red wine. Let the tea bags soak in boiling
water, which will release naturally occurring tannins within the tea
leaves, then mix half a cup of brown sugar with the water. Pour the
mixed water into your seasoned meat when you're putting it in the oven
and your steak will be deliciously soft. Keep in mind, this mostly works
with beef, so be careful when experimenting!2. Clean your mirrors and glass surfaces
It's time for cleaning but you're terrified of the muck that has
collected on your windows, mirrors, and tables over the past months? A
good tea-based solution is all you need to have them sparkling (and also
smelling amazing). Boil just 2-3 used tea bags in a quarter-liter or 1
cup of water. Let the solution cool. Soak a clean cloth in the solution
and wring it out thoroughly before wiping down the glass surfaces in
question. After a good wet wipe down, give the surfaces a final cleaning
with a dry cloth.
3. No more foot odor
Does the sweat in your shoes leave you
constantly worried about wearing anything other than Hawaiian slippers?
To fix your shoes up, you need some used tea bags that are completely
dried. Take the dried recycled tea bags, stuff a handful into a few
different socks and tie the openings. Place your sock-tea bundles in
your smelly shoes and within a few days, the smell will be gone.
Soaking your feet in some strong tea and water (using old tea bags, of
course), along with some mint leaves can also relieve your feet of any
lingering foul smells.
If you have any light-colored articles of
clothing that are faded or looking patchy, your old tea bags can make
them look new again. The clothes should ideally be somewhere between
off-white and a light beige or coffee color. You can also use this trick
with old and faded black articles of clothing to revive the color.
Boil water with old tea bags to get your solution, 3 tea bags for every 2
cups of water you use. When the mixture cools, stir in your clothes so
that every inch is evenly soaked. Let it soak for about 15 minutes
(longer for a darker shade) and then give it a quick rinse before
hanging it to dry. Do this trick with care, as the results may vary
based on the tea strength and material of the clothing.
5. Eliminate foul smells around the house
When your fridge gets overloaded with food,
it can start to take on a very distinct smell that is a combination of
all the meats, beverages, and aging vegetables sitting in your fridge.
Just leave a bowl of used green tea bags in it for 3 days, and all those
strong smells will dissipate.
For foul-smelling carpets, just sprinkle dried used tea leaves over the
affected areas, let them sit for 15 minutes and then vacuum it all up
for a fresher carpet. You can even add old tea leaves and tea bags to
kitty litter to reduce the rank smell.
6. Soothe your eyes
Any time you have a restless or disturbed
night of sleep, it shows the next day. Your eyes become puffy and sore.
If you struggle to sleep for many nights in a row, you can start to
develop dark circles. Teabags can help with this. Use either green or
black tea bags.
7. Take a tea bath
Are you a fan of green tea? Then you absolutely need to try this trick the next time you're planning to enjoy a nice long soak in your bathtub. Just add a handful of old green tea bags to the hot water filling up your tub. Let it soak for 10-15 minutes before removing the tea bags and immersing yourself in the water. Tea is chock full of healthy nutrients that are equally efficient when absorbed through the skin.
8. Pain relief
The very same nutrients and tannins that
make tea great for your meat, skin, and eyes also make it a highly
effective analgesic. In a similar manner to which you would use tea bags
for puffy eyes, you can use your old tea bags to treat a variety of
different injuries.
By simply placing the cooled tea bags on the affected area for 20
minutes, you can reduce pain caused by rashes, bee stings, bug bites,
sunburns, and other types of minor cuts and burns. They will cool and
tighten your skin, and flood your body with nourishing antioxidants.