Ways to Use Old Tea Bags – Make Tea Bags Useful
A Reader from Nampa, Idaho Writes:
“I have loads of old tea bags. Are there any ways I can use them or should I just throw them away?”
Tea bags have many uses other than making tea to drink. Here are some ways to use old tea bags without simply throwing them in the trash…
- Tea bags work well for tea dyeing craft and sewing projects.
- If you have curtains or a tablecloth with colors that are too bright for you decorating scheme, you can tea dye them that give them a pretty muted look. This works especially well for the country or antique look.
- I also keep moistened tea bags in a plastic bag in the freezer or fridge. When I have a headache or my eyes are burning, itching or just puffy from eye strain, I lie with one tea bag on each eye for ten or fifteen minutes. It really is soothing.
- Use used herbal bags in your rice while you are cooking it to give a nice taste
- Use moistened used tea bags on sunburns or bug stings
- In your potting soil for fertilizer
- To deodorizer things. Stick them in a closet, inside of shoes or just sitting out in a bowl to absorb odors.
- If baking soda has failed for those burnt on pans try some used tea bags with hot water and let them soak awhile.
- Tea bags are a great degreaser. They use to be used all the time in a bucket of water to mop floors with.
-Jill
Tea leaves and tea bags can also be composted for the garden. To save money on tea use loose-leaf tea and a reusable infuser. You’ll find the flavor is much better, the leaves can usually be resteeped, and it’s just as easy to make as using tea bags.
Tea bags are a good comfort measure to use when you have recieved an immunizations. We recommend at my workplace to dampen a tea bag and hold on the area the shot was given. It helps to ease the pain and helps to “draw out” the fever.
my mom gets like 4 cups (if not more) from one bag of tea… she drinks it super light (she actually prefers the taste of the white tea but cant afford it all the time) …
i never knew that myra, to put the tea bag over where the shot was given… i will have to pass this one on… :D … thanks for sharing :D
I do the same thing! I get 2-3 uses at least! Tawra
I normally re-use the tea bag (2-3 uses depending on the kind), then I put green tea and white into a plastic bag in the freezer, when I take a bath I throw in a handful…the water may turn a bit brown…but it really softens my skin, and helps with sunburn (if sunburned I use more like 10 bags). My kids are fair like my husband and I, and I do this weekly for them. You can absorb some of the green teas good stuff into your skin and it does seem to reduce sunburns for me. I also will just apply them straight to my face (like if you were applying toner), smooth and calming. I just leave it on while I clean house and wash it off if I go out. Then after many uses I put them in the compost pile.
Does tea make your skin darker? I am asking because years ago I read a recipe to apply really strong tea on the skin and wash it off after 20 minutes or longer. My skin is very fair and I get sunburned really fast, but I don’t want my skin to get any darker. I apply spf90 sunscreen in order to stay white, especially my face. Here in CA the sun burns like a fire in the summer time.
If you leave it on too long it can. For the amount I use to cool my eyes it isn’t a problem and the one time I left it on really long I just washed with a wash rag and it was gone.
wow michelle.. thats alot of uses for the tea bags! .. never thought to apply to the face as a toner …
I’m not sure where you’re getting your information, but good topic.
I needs to spend some time learning more or understanding more.
Thanks for excellent information I was looking for this information
for my mission.
Can tea bags be cut open and the tea added to the table scraps to feed the chickens? Do they eat tea? Is it ok for them to eat it?
I am no expert in this area and this is a new one on me but I’m not sure there are that many nutrients in it for them plus so say the caffeine even though it is a small amount for us could bother the chickens. I personally would just use them in my compost pile.
Years, and years ago, we were coloring Easter eggs and my daughter knocked over a cup of boiling water on her leg. It immediately welted up (the whole top of her leg)about the size of a notebook. We put teabags all over her leg and covered with a towel. We thought she would have a bad scar. She is 51 now and has no marks or scars from it.I ALWAYS use tea bags for burns now.
Hi,
Could someone please explain the process for tea-dying fabrics? Thanks.
You just make some really strong tea. Say 10 tea bags to 1-2 cups of water. Bring it to a boil and then put your fabric in and let it soak until it’s the color you like.
I also like to coffee dye my fabric. Dissolve about 4-5 Tbsp. of instant coffee to a couple of cups of hot water. Soak the fabric if it isn’t dark enough then add more coffee and resoak. It gives a slightly different old looking effect.
I’m thinking about that ADHD chickens running around like a chicken with their head chopped off!