Alternative uses for tea and tea bags

Alternative uses for tea and tea bags

 

Tea is not only a beverage but has some healthy solutions to common problems as well, read this article for more information.

 

Tea happens to be an indulgence of mine. I start each morning with a cup of orange pekoe tea, sweetened with just a bit of sugar and a splash of cream. Each evening as I sit down in front of my computer to while away some time, I enjoy another identical cup. Most days will also find me indulging in several more cups of my favorite brew throughout the day. However, drinking tea is not this beverages only purpose. While tea as a drink has been around for thousands of years, it has been used for hundreds of other purposes also. Some of these uses, and some for tea in its modern form as a teabag, follow:

 

Muslin fabric can be tea stained to appear aged. Brew tea same as you would to drink, minus cream or sugar, soak fabric in liquid until it appears a bit darker than you would like the fabric to be. Keep in mind that it will lighten as it dries. Finished items can also be 'tea stained' in the same manner. An old blouse, or a piece of embroidery, or just about anything you can think of, can be 'aged' in this way. An avid bead worker, I occasionally work with porcupine quills, and have even dyed the quills using tea.

 

A tea bag works well as a compress on swollen, puffy eyes, just make sure that they have cooled sufficiently so as not to burn. A newly blackened eye can also benefit from a tea bag compress. It will help draw the bruise out so that it heals at a much faster rate than normal. The tannic acid that occurs naturally in black tea is also said to help eradicate warts. Place a warmed, wet tea bag directly onto a wart for ten to fifteen minutes. Repeat two or three times each day and you will notice the wart shrink in size after just a few days of this treatment.

 

If making glycerin melt and pour soap, add tea in nearly any form to a mold of soap before it cools. The tea will settle in the bottom of the mold, (top of the bar of soap) and makes an excellent cleansing soap. For an average hand size bar of soap, add between ½ to a whole tea bag. Mint tea will also make a nicely scented bar of soap. Soap, with tea added, makes a perfect bar of soap for the kitchen, and is one of the best odor removers I have ever used.

 

Chamomile tea is a natural sleep aid. Chamomile tea can also be brewed and allowed to cool to be used as a rinse for darker colored hair. It is said to leave hair with a very shiny, clean appearance. If used on lighter colored hair, it will work as a natural dye. Depending on the lightness of hair and the strength and color of the brewed tea, this can be an inexpensive way to darken your hair.

 

Tea bags that have cooled can be applied to sunburned areas of skin. They will help ease the pain and inflammation associated with sunburn. Mosquito bites can also be soothed in this manner.

 

In search of help for a few of my ailing houseplants, an elderly woman I know told me to 'water' my them with cooled tea every other day. With in a very short time my plants were well on their way to recovery. I now save any tea I do not drink from the drain, and share it with my plants. Leftover tea bags can be recycled into the garden, giving a lift to your outdoor plants as well.

 

With so many heavenly scented types of tea on the market today, it seems such a waste to only enjoy the deliciousness through drinking the tea. Tea bags, or loose tea in a small muslin bag, will make a perfect addition to your clothes drawers. These tea 'sachets' can also be tucked under a vehicle seat, in your closet, in a bowl on the bathroom or kitchen counter, or just about anywhere you would like to add a small touch of scent.

 

Tea 'sachets' made with plain old black tea make a perfect addition to your refrigerator. They will help keep food odors in control.

 

Chamomile or peppermint tea makes a very soothing footbath. They are both natural rejuvenators and will leave your feet both odor-free and softer at the same time. A cotton cloth soaked in chamomile or peppermint tea and then applied to other dry areas, such as elbows, or even the dry, cracked nipples of a nursing mother, will also be e benefit. Do check with your doctor first if nursing, as a physician should OK anything out of the normal routine of a nursing mother.

 

When I was very little, I can remember having a terrible toothache. My mother brewed a pot of tea, took the loose leaves, rolled them in a scrap of fabric, and had me hold this directly on the ache. Through the years, we children were given this treatment for nearly any mouth concern we had, be it a toothache, a canker sore, or a fat lip that my one brother gave my other brother. All of these were treated with a warm compress of tealeaves.

 

With all the different carpet fresheners on the market, you might be surprised that loose tea can work the same freshening magic. Sprinkle dry tea directly onto carpeting, and allow to settle in for about ten to fifteen minutes. Teas such as cinnamon or a vanilla spice work well, giving your room a nice scent and when vacuumed up, will deodorize the vacuum cleaner bag at the same time. This can also be done to pets bedding area, totally eradicating the pets' odor. Spread dry tea on pet's bedding, allow to 'work' and then either vacuum up or shake out the loose tea. I have even been told that tea is a natural inhibitor for fleas!