7 Things You Can Do With Used Tea Bags

Think of how many cups of tea you have in a day. If you are like the average tea drinker, you probably have three or four each day. And in all these instances, you likely reach for an unused teabag for a fresh cup of tea.

That should bring you to more than one hundred teabags each month. And where do all these go? Again, if you are anything like most consumers, these end up in the waste bin.

You can use them in a compost heap as well as many other uses in the home. Many people opt to reuse them in making a stronger brew. Is this a good idea? The answer is yes. You can use the teabag again to make more tea.

However, you should note that there are some disadvantages to this approach. When you make the first cup of tea, your teabag loses most of its flavor and strength. So when you make another cup of tea using the first bag, the result may be weak.

However, there is a way around this, more so if you want to get a stronger brew. That is one of the many reuse options we will cover in this article. Are you ready to get more out of your teabag? Keep reading.

Seven ways you can reuse tea bags

1. Stronger Brew

You should store the used bag in a moist area. The problem with letting them dry out is that they become ideal breeding grounds for mold and bacteria. To avoid this and the likely effects of the same, place the bag in a small glass filled with water.

You do not want to use too much water as this will lead to seeping, further robbing you of flavor. Note the conditions of the storage such that you do not expose the bag to heat. It is even better to have it in the fridge where you can control the temperatures.

If you store it outside, it can go bad, which you can tell by its smell. Where there is a change in smell, you should toss the bag and fix a cup of tea using a fresh one. There is no need to take chances with your health.

For this method, you can reuse the bag one or two times, depending on its strength. After the second time, you can find another use for it other than making tea. At this point, it will not have much to offer regarding flavor.

2. Reduced Dark Eye Circles

Sometimes, even when you have had enough sleep, eaten right and exercised, your appearance can betray you. Have you ever woken up with dark circles and puffiness around your eyes? Well, this is a situation in which you can rely on teabags to work their magic.

Note that not all teabags can work for this, as some have little or no effects. Go for caffeinated options as these contain high amounts of tannins and antioxidants. These can soothe the skin and reduce the darkness in the eye area.

You may wonder if it is a good idea to have bags around your eyes. The answer is yes. Using teabags is not only economical, but it has also been proven to work time and again. They contain antioxidants which reduce the puffiness and clear the dark circles.

The caffeine present reduces fluid retention and shrinks blood vessels. And the tannins work in stimulating blood circulation, whose impediment could be the cause of the problem. Additionally, the compounds present in tea are soothing and work on reducing inflammation in the eye area. These are but some of the benefits.

Now, how should you use the bags? You should start by steeping two teabags in a glass of hot water for a few minutes. Note that the teabags should contain caffeine for them to be effective. Next, squeeze out the liquid and place the bags in the fridge where they should cool for about twenty minutes.

Your face should be clean during the application, so make sure you wash and dry it. Lie down and place the cooled bags on your eyes and allow them to sit there for twenty minutes. You can now rinse your face using cold water. If need be, you can use the bags up to three times daily.

Note that there are some precautions you must have in place when using teabags. For example, you cannot use the same teabags for eye treatments. Once you have used them on your eyes, you should discard them and get others.

3. Dyeing Clothes

Do you want to add a subtle shade to your clothes? If yes, you can easily do so by relying on used teabags. This method is not only cheap but also easy. How should you go about it?

For this method, it is best to go with black tea as it has the deepest color and will thus have the best results. If you opt for teas such as whites and greens, the results will not be impressive. If you have loose tea instead, you can use the same.

Note that teabags are the best option if you want to reduce the chances of a mess. Now, the number of bags you use will ultimately depend on how big the piece of clothing is. It also comes down to how dark you want the piece to be.

The more water you use, the more teabags you will need for this to be a success. For safe measure, you can work with one teabag for every eight ounces. A liter of water will cover each yard of the fabric.

Put a pot of water to boil and add some salt in it. The pot should be big enough to hold the piece of clothing while allowing it to move in the water. Allow the water to come to a boil. The salt works in setting the color such that it does not fade when you do your laundry.

For every liter of water, use two tablespoons of salt. Remove the pot from the heat when the water comes to a boil. You can then add the used teabags to seep in the water for about ten minutes.

Note that your teabags may have lost some color when you first used them. You can thus work with two used bags for every teabag needed, to account for this loss.

The longer the tea steeps, the more color you will get. Check the color before adding the piece of cloth and ascertain if you are okay with the deepness. If you are good with the hue, wet the fabric in water and squeeze out the extra liquid before placing it in the dye.

The dye will soak into the fibers, provided they are natural and not synthetic. The soaking should take place for at least an hour or overnight, where possible. You can then take out the fabric, wring out the excess water, dry it and iron it.

4. Cleaning with tea bags

How hard is it to clean glass without leaving streaks? If you ask many people, it takes work and skill. But it does not have to be that challenging, and you can use your used teabags to help with this. Use the bags to wipe down the mirrors before using a soft cloth to buff them.

The active compounds in the tea will work in breaking down the dirt such that the buffing will result in a clean look. But that is not the only cleaning you can do with teabags.

You can also rely on them to remove grease in dishes that cannot seem to get clean. Again, you will rely on the natural active compounds present in the tea to act on the dirt. These are much better alternatives as compared to what you would get in the store.

For best results, add the bags to warm water as well as the dishes. Soak the utensils for about half an hour then try scrubbing them. It should be easier the second time.

Do you have trouble cleaning the bottom of the toilet bowl? If yes, you are not alone. The good news is that teabags can help with this. All you need is to drop two or three of this in the toilet and allow them to sit at the bottom for a few minutes.

You can then flush the toilet and scrub the bottom to remove any stains that have been a disturbance. Note that while it might be tempting to leave the bags there for long, it is not advisable.

You should remember that they contain tannins, the compounds responsible for browning surfaces. If you do want to leave them for longer, opt for teas with light colors. Black tea will only add to the cleaning work.

Cleaning your carpet with tea might look like a far-fetched idea, but that is not the case. Start by opening the bags and removing the leaves such that they lose most of their moisture.

Place the almost dry leaves on the carpet and allow them to dry before vacuuming them. Not only will your carpet be cleaner, but so will your vacuum be.

5. Burn Alleviation

Teabags contain an array of compounds suited for easing inflammation as well as pain on the skin when used externally. You can rely on them for these benefits by using them on recent cuts. All you have to do is clean the affected area before using a teabag on it.

Allow the bag to rest on the area for a few minutes and see how that feels. Your skin should suffer less irritation from this. Ensure that the conditions are sterile such that you do not end up exposing your skin to harmful microorganisms.

6. Better Hair

Conditioning the hair is an essential step in ensuring that your strands look healthy and shiny. The thing is that most hair products on the market tend to be expensive. And that can hamper your hair care goals. Well, teabags come cheap and can offer you similar results. Are you interested?

All you have to do is to use the teabags to make weak tea. Wash your hair as you would, and follow through with conditioning it. Use the tea afterwards on the strands and rub it into the hair. Leave it in place. Tea has been proven to enhance the growth and strength of hair. Note that different teas will have varying results, and you can choose what works best for you.

7. Flavorful Food

People are always looking for ways to make their foods taste better and will go to great lengths for the same. Instead of buying all the spices in the store, how about relying on your used teabag?

Add it to boiling water and take it out before adding meals such as pasta and chicken. Your food will have a distinct flavor that will have your loved ones praising your amazing skills. If only they knew that the secret lay in their morning brew.