Tea bags aren’t just great for making deliciously convenient cups of tea, as it turns out. These fragrant sachets can be used in myriad other ways, from adding more oomph to your dishes to absorbing stinky odours from around the house. So if you love drinking tea, we’ve put together 18 great reasons to save your leftover tea bags and maximise their benefits. Find out what they are in the gallery below:
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Text: Atika Lim & Elizabeth Liew
Soak greasy plates, bowls and other utensils in warm water, and throw in a few used tea bags. The tannin acid in the tea will help to break down grease and loosen food bits so you don’t have to waste time scrubbing endlessly.
Hate the lingering smell of fish, garlic or onions after touching them? Try this handy trick (pun intended) to get rid of the stink: Wash and scrub your hands with pre-brewed tea leaves from the sachets!
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Pop a couple of green tea or earl grey tea bags into the fridge and then use them as a luxurious (and natural) eye compress when your eyes feel sore and tired after a long day at work. The caffeine in the tea helps to reduce puffiness, swelling and dark under-eye circles by constricting the blood vessels under your eyes.
Love the smell of jasmine flavoured rice? You can make some of your very own at home with leftover tea bags.
Place a leftover bags of jasmine tea in your rice cooker while steaming rice and you’ll get fragrant smelling rice. Do the same with your pasta but in boiling water to achieve the same results.
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Used tea bags can be recycled as fertiliser, as tea leaves (especially green tea) add a nitrogen-rich component to your compost! Mix some tea into your gardening soil to repel pests and help your plants grow healthily. Different types of tea offer different nutrients and benefits to your plants.
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Boil some tea with your leftover tea bags to make a delicious marinade for your meats. Tear those leftover tea bags open and rub them into your meats for a dry marinade and to let the flavours infuse in. Leave them overnight and brush away the tea leaves for a deliciously fragrant dish. You can also add cooking wine or some other marinade sauces for an even richer flavour.
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Got some tea bag flavours that you think might go well together? Be your own mixologist and create your very own tea concoction. Pair them with one of these delicious afternoon tea recipes!
Leave leftover tea bags to dry and add your favourite essential oils to them for homemade air fresheners. Hang them up in your wardrobe or cupboard for a natural, refreshing scent.
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If you’ve got plenty of tea bags, turn them into potpourri instead. Add your favourite essential oils, mix is up and separate it into different bowls to freshen up your home.
Boil some tea with your leftover tea bags, allow it to cool down slightly and soak your feet in. The antioxidants found in tea can help nourish your skin and soften it.
Once you’re done soaking your foot in them, tear open the leftover tea bags and scrub the base of your foot with it for smoother skin!
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Fridge smelling a little nasty? Place a few used tea bags in your fridge to soak up unwanted odours and keep your fridge smelling clean and fresh.
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Ward away pests at home by hanging a few used and dried tea bags inside food cupboards or dark corners where they lurk. Drip some peppermint oil onto the bags for added help.
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The next time your skin is inflamed, sunburned, bruised or suffering from any sort of irritation, put some cool, moist tea bags onto your skin to help speed up the healing process.
Want to pamper yourself after a long and hard day? Place some tea bags into a tub and soak your feet in. Not only does it help to neutralize foot odours, it’s also high in antioxidants.
If you’re trying to get rid of bad breath naturally, here’s what you can do: Brew some weak tea and use it as a mouth wash. We recommend going for peppermint tea for some added freshness.
Brew some weak tea and wait for it to cool before putting it into a spray bottle. Tea can help to loosen grime and dirt. Plus, you’ll also save money on household products!
Restore shine to your wood furniture or floors with weak tea. You can easily do this by steeping two used tea bags in about 500 ml or a pint of warm water, before gently buffing the surfaces with a microfibre cloth.
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