If you are a tea lover like me, you probably discard tea bags like they are going out of style. Here are some 10 ways to reuse tea bags and get a little more life out of them. Those little tea bags are way more versatile than you ever knew!
10 Ways to Reuse Tea Bags
1. Tea Bath: Run your bath water over used tea bags and then have a good soak. Your skin will be left feeling super soft and silky {plus, it’s an excuse to soak in a bath!}.
2. Tea Compress: Place your used tea bags in the fridge for a bit and then lay them on your puffy, dark-circled eyes. The tannins in the leaves help reduce the puff and dark circles and will leave you looking all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed!
3. Tea Healer: Have a sunburn, bruise or bug-bites or stings? Press a used tea bag {you can chill these, too} over the area and let the healing begin!
4. Tea-peat: Reuse your old tea bags alongside a new bag to make a stiffer cup of tea. It’s the perfect way to give your tea a little extra something without spending more money.
5. Tea Fertilizer: Let your used tea bags dry out and then sprinkle into the soil of houseplants, your garden, the base of your trees or your compost pile. Not only will it act as a fertilizer, but it will also help deter little pests and critters from gobbling up your garden.
But wait… There’s more!
6. Tea Band-aids: If you’ve ever nicked yourself while shaving and plastered your legs or face with little bits of toilet paper, here’s a great alternative. Press a used tea bag over the bleeding area and hold it there for a few minutes. The tannins in the tea will accelerate blood clotting. Who knew?
7. Tea Tenderizer: Use used tea bags to tenderize meats. I’ve done this with a whole turkey and it was so moist and delicious. I just threw a tea bag in with some water in the bottom of the pan. Easy as that!
8. TeaDye: Like tie-dye only cooler. You can use tea bags to stain wood, dye wool, and color cardstock to name a few. It’s a great natural dye alternative.
9. Tea Degreaser: If those hard to clean pots and pans are making you crazy, fill them up with hot water, throw a used tea bag in the pot and then let them soak overnight. In the morning the stuck on junk and grease will rinse right off.
10. Tea Deodorizer: Those little tea bags pack a pretty smell-removing punch. Place them in your fridge, in your smelly shoes, in your car, or hidden all over your teenager’s rooms to absorb odors.
Do you use your used tea bags in any other cool ways I’ve never heard of. Please share in the comments below!
~Mavis
Rosemary says
I have heard that if you put milk in your tea while the tea bag is still in the cup, it should not be used as compost in the garden. Does anyone know if that is true? I drink lots of tea, but I don’t compost the tea bags because I use milk. I would love to compost my tea bags if I can.
Julie says
My guess is that they think that the milk will draw animals….. I can’t think that it would be enough to matter, but of course, to each their own!:)
Linda Goudelock says
I don’t use bagged tea. Strainer for me and I do use in my garden
Linda Sand says
Tea compress. When I had a molar removed that continued to bleed they had me put a folded, wet tea bag in the hole and bite down on it. The bleeding stopped.
SueD says
Yea leaves for me, and they are used in the garden. I’ve also dyed lace with tea.
randini says
i had a coworker who would reuse her bags for a second cuppa then leave them to dry by the communal workroom sink. the drying teabag collection got kind of ridiculous as she never moved them so we began collecting them. at the holiday party we unveiled a christmas tree fully decorated with her used, dried tea bags.
Sue in SoCal says
A used wet tea bag is also good on canker sores in the mouth. Takes the sting right out.