You can find one of the easiest solutions to a hectic day at the bottom of a mug filled with tea. It requires minimal effort. You grab some hot water or milk, add your preferred sweetener (or don’t if you’re one of those health freaks), dip your favourite tea bag in and…throw the tea bag out after you’re done? It seems a bit wasteful.
Can you enjoy your tea knowing full well that much like you, the tea bag also is yet to attain maximum fulfilment in life?
If you’re like those of us who can’t, we’re here to tell you about all the other things your little tea bags are capable of (apart from making another cup of tea). From taking care of our beauty needs to jazzing up our houses– tea bags can be very versatile. Here are ten easy ways to repurpose them!
1. Add a tea-ny bit to your food prep- Next time you want to try something different with your food, brew yourself a cup of tea. You can put your used tea bags in boiling water and remove them before adding pasta, rice and even your chole (chickpeas).
It’s called the Bouquet Garni technique, and it adds so much more flavour to your dish. Also, you can use tea bags to tenderize your meat before you cook it.
2. Add some greens to your face pack- Teabags, especially green tea bags, make for the best face masks. Cut the bags open and mix with honey and apply the paste onto your face.
You can also add turmeric, mint leaves or lemon juice to the mix and see it do wonders for your skin. Other modifications include cutting out the honey and adding rice flour or orange peels to the tea.
3. Ligh-tean up your dark circles- Skip the excessive amounts of concealer under your eye and use your old tea bags instead. They help reduce puffiness and ensure that you don’t end up with major dark circles.
4. Tea-m up against rough feet- Soak your feet in hot water with these tea bags and ditch the paranoia of smelly feet. This DIY Pedicure helps remove odour and makes your feet soft as well! To go the extra mile, put the tea bags into your shoes and ensure that you’ve covered all the bases.
5. Enjoy you nude-tea- If you have access to a bathtub, enjoy a cup of tea in your next bath to relax and then dump the tea bag into the bathwater. It makes for the best soap and helps rejuvenate your skin. Using flavoured tea enhances the experience.
6. Be a stea-ckler for a clean house- We can use tea bags to clean all the glass surfaces in the home that get smudged easily. You can’t take mirror selfies with dirty glass, can you? Rub the wet tea bag on the glass and use a dry cloth to wipe it once you’re done.
7. Eliminate any tea-rible smells- Substitute your air freshener with some used tea bags. You can put some bags in your fridge or at the bottom of your trash to make it smell better. You can even hang them around your house after adding a few drops of essential oils to ensure that the entire house smells great.
8. Fight Tea-dious infections- You can apply tea bags to sores, pink eye and blisters to help fight infections. They help reduce pain and speed up the recovery time.
9. Make a new Tea-shirt- Tea is an excellent substitute for dye. Use damp tea bags to make your faded black shirts come to life! You can also use it on paper and your grey hair.
10. Help your plantea-tion- Old tea bags help get rid of pests in your home garden. You make a weak brew to water your plants and the sprinkle the leaves over them to ensure maximum protection.
If you made it through all the horrible tea puns, you are now fully equipped to put your tea bags to fair use. Next time you see your friend throwing one out, you’ll be able to save them. Get ready to be a know-it-all by telling them about these hacks and blowing their mind (Don’t worry, we won’t take full credit).