How To Use Tea In Your Household Chores

Don’t worry I am not about to head off for space, just reaching for my cup of tea actually.  

So, what do you do with your used tea leaves or tea bags? Most would usually throw them out – but did you know that our most loved teas still serve a purpose even after we are done with them?

Squeaky and Clean

I mentioned this a number of times on the previous blogs – one significant benefit of tea is its astringency. It has a cleansing factor that has been discovered and is being used. But did you know that you can use tea as a cleanser not for your face, but for your home and furniture?

1. Wooden Furniture and Floors – typically uses black or darker teas

Brew left over tea leaves/teabags; let it cool to room temperature. Put in a spray bottle and using a damp towel, spray on wooden surface for that nice shine. Got lighter floors? No problem, this is where light or green tea comes in.

2. Glass – like mirrors and windows

Cold brew your tea leaves/teabags; transfer to a spray bottle and add a little elbow grease – you’d be asking your mirror “Who is the fairest of them all” in no time. 

3. Bathrooms – bathtubs, sinks and yes - even the toilet!

For the sink and bathtub – do it the spray bottle way. Cold brew then spray away, wipe off with a damp towel.

For the toilet – steep, yes... STEEP the tea and let it stay for a bit. Remove them using a brush and scrub away! Flush and see the difference. To prevent clogging, if you are using loose leaves, put them in a cloth bag to contain the leaves and prevent them from going down the drain. NEVER ever flush your tea bags! Remove then throw in the bin.

Smell Something Fishy?

No, it’s not about fish. It’s about getting rid of those unwanted odours around the house. You don’t need moist tea leaves or tea bags for this, as we need them dry or have started to dry out.

Tea is highly absorbent, which is why we need to store it away from anything that has a strong smell as tea will absorb whatever smell it is. However, for this instance, its absorbency will play into our favour.

Sprinkle dried tea leaves on the carpet, a smelly shoe or even inside the fridge. Remember, we need dried leaves! As tea can stain your carpet or any fabric you leave it on. Let it stay and absorb the unwanted odours and you will notice that the smell is gone after a day or so.

Making Them Bloom!

Plants can also benefit from the nutrients in tea, so before tossing your used leaves or tea bags out – you may want to keep them for your plants.

You can either put your tea leaves or tea bags in compost. The tea will enrich the soil and nourish your garden. You can also put the tea leaves as you plant by mixing them with the soil. Layer your tea at the bottom of your pot since it can absorb water hence will not drain that fast. You can layer it on top to serve as fertiliser once the leaves dry out. If you are using tea bags, please make sure that the bags they are in are bio-degradable, otherwise it is highly advisable that you remove them from the bags before putting them in your flower pot.

These are just three of the possible uses of tea leaves - how about you, can you think of other ways we can use tea?