Unexpected Uses for Tea Bags

Tea bags have a surprisingly-useful number of practical applications that everyone should know about. This is in addition to the health benefits associated with drinking tea that can also be very useful in a survival situation. Let’s take a look at how you can take advantage of fresh as well as left-over tea bags in order to make life a little bit easier.

Topical Pain Relief

The compounds in most teas, especially darker ones, can provide soothing and immediate relief to burning, irritated or wounded skin in many cases. Simply place a used and moist tea bag on the affected area and let it go to work. This can be used for sunburns, minor scrapes and cuts as well as to reduce irritation from some insect bites. While this trick won’t work on every source of irritation, it is definitely worth trying. Tea bags are also good for cleaning the skin, and they can be used to help open pores and reduce occurrences of acne and certain rashes.

Cleaning

Tea is also a natural de-greaser and cleaner, and it also helps to coat pots and pans. Rub down a skillet with a used tea bag, and the coating can prevent rust from forming. Adding a couple of bags when doing dishes or laundry can also help to loosen dirt and grime. They are also very useful for cleaning wood. Everything from flooring and decks to furniture can be easily cleaned with tea bags.

Tea is also a strong glass cleaner, and tea bags can work just as well as ammonia and water when cleaning windows. They will also bring glass to a shine with minimal effort while removing any unwanted film. Try to wash some glasses or clean your car mirrors with a moist tea bag and see for yourself how well this trick works.

Deodorizing

Tea bags can work just as well, if not better, than baking soda for removing odors in many cases. Stick a couple in the fridge, closet, hampers or even in shoes and watch smells disappear. However, it’s important that the bags are moist and replaced frequently in order to achieve long-term benefits. Tea bags can also freshen breath and be used to wipe armpits or feet as well.

Gardening

Cut open some used tea bags and sprinkle the used leaves into your compost pile, mulch or planting soil. They are very nutrient-rich and can work as a natural fertilizer while also speeding up the process of composting. Consider applying tea to areas in your garden or yard that are not growing as well as others, and you may notice a significant improvement over time.

Obviously, we need to drink a lot of tea in order to maintain a decent supply of bags to have for these and other practical applications. However, drinking tea on a regular basis is not such a bad idea either. Try it out for yourself and see how beneficial tea can be to your daily life in addition to the host of health benefits that you can receive as well.