How To Use Used Tea Bags

The contents of the chilled tea bag are suitable, for example, for fertilizing plants, beauty care, repelling mosquitoes and removing bad odors from cabinets and refrigerators. So save your tea bags and don’t throw them directly in the trash, but utilize them in your home.

Recycle and reuse tea bags for the benefit of the environment

More and more of us are interested in how we can live a greener life. Recycling, frugality and ingenuity are the words of the day. Many of us want to reduce the amount of household waste and reusing tea bags is one handy way to reduce the amount of waste. In this article you will find tricks for used tea bags for home and beauty care.

Fertilizer for plants

If you have a compost bin in your backyard, you can throw used tea bags into the compost (prefer unbleached tea bags or loose tea). Food waste such as potato and egg shells and many other organic wastes are suitable for compost. Compost converts easily degradable waste into fertilizer suitable for the vegetable garden. If you do not own a compost bin, consider purchasing one or suggest a common compost bin for use by a housing association. Compost soil can be used to advantageously fertilize perennial beds and vegetable soil.

The contents of the tea bag also act as a natural fertilizer and can be used especially for fertilizing houseplants. Pour the contents of the used tea bag directly into the soil of the plant, then mix the soil superficially so that the tea settles faster. Throw an empty tea bag in the compost or trash. A tea bag made of organic material can be buried in the mold, but first make sure that there are no metal staples in the bag.

Soothing treatment

Most tea drinks contain soothing and beneficial ingredients for the body. Many teas are suitable for skin care, as black and green tea, for example, have an anti-inflammatory effect that soothes the skin, removes eye bags and reduces swelling in the eyelids or insect bites.

Use tea bags cold to treat swelling, as cold has a natural anti-swelling effect. Store a few used tea bags in the freezer if you regularly suffer from swelling of the eyelids or eye bags – this will give you an emergency treatment in the morning to refresh your eyes. Place the bags on your eyes for a few minutes and you will immediately feel fresher.

Tea bags remove bad odors

Used and dried tea bags work in the same way as baking soda, i.e.  they absorb unpleasant odors and thus refresh the wardrobe and refrigerator. 

One tea bag is not enough to freshen up a large space, so save even a week of accumulated tea bags and use them together at the same time. Place the dried tea bags in a small cardboard box or plastic container and punch holes in the surface of the box. Place the box in a refrigerator or other space that needs refreshing and remove after a few days.

Tea bags can also be used to freshen carpets and pet beds. Sprinkle the contents of the used tea bags on the carpet, leave it on for a few minutes and vacuum away. This will remove dust and stale odor.

Expel mosquitoes

Use tea like incense to clean the air and drive away mosquitoes. Especially use black tea combined with lemon, lavender, rosemary or eucalyptus.

Use the same tea bag several times

With the same tea bag, you can cook the tea twice, because often the tea bag still has enough flavor for another satin. Two used tea bags can be used for a cup cup, and often the tea tastes as strong as tea extracted from an intact bag.

You can use tea bags for foot baths 

Boil a couple of liters of water and add the used tea bags, swim your feet until the water cools down. You can also add tea to the bath water and enjoy the aromas of the tea. This is especially suitable for soothing inflammation and expelling bad breath.