In for a penny

20 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Throw Away That Used Teabag Yet!

Taking green living to new heights!

Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles
The Penny Pub
Published in
4 min readFeb 10, 2023

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Source — Pixabay

As much as I love my coffee, these days I also love my cuppa tea. Green tea, to be specific. I’ve made it my life’s mission to sample as many flavors of green tea as possible. I blame my friend for this particular fetish. She’d keep pampering me with pots of flavored tea as we snacked our way through our tête-à-têtes. Even when she phones, she urges me to go grab a BIG mug of chai before we settle down to our marathon conversations.

Then, there seems to be no end to the health benefits of green tea — so who am I to argue?

Source — Pixabay

So today, I am happy to say that at any point in time, I have at least 20 flavors of green tea bags to choose from. I am also glad to say I’ve turned my son into a green tea drinker. Some of the flavors we play tic-tac-toe with are tulsi (basil) — tastes fabulous, tulsi lemon, jasmine, citrus, peach, mango, moringa (yes, really!), dandelion mint, ginger mulethi lemon, lemongrass, mint burst, vanilla, cardamom, turmeric — oh yes. Plenty more where that came from.

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So, while looking for a particular brand that is eco-friendly — I support green living and try to recycle just about anything I use — I came across some amazing information.

Who knew there were so many ways to reuse that used tea bag? The long list of tips I put together literally knocked my skin-colored toe socks off my feet!

I had no idea that tea bags can be an important part of the cleaning tool kit AND that first aid kit….and? help you reduce your carbon footprint.

Join me as we cruise through this amazing list!

Source-Pixabay

20 reasons not to throw away that teabag yet

  1. Got musty or dirty carpets? Clean them by sprinkling dry used green tea leaves on them. After ten minutes, vacuum!
  2. Wood furniture can be a challenge to maintain. To keep them looking good, polish them by dipping a soft cloth in a little black tea and wipe them off. Who knew?
  3. One of my pain points is mirrors. Annoying to clean — somehow, there’s always some mark on them. Until I discovered that tea bags are great for cleaning mirrors — they easily get rid of finger marks and other blemishes and make them shine
  4. Toilet stains. Ugh! Use a tea bag to remove stains in the bottom of your potty. Leave the tea bag in for a few hours, brush, flush, and watch it sparkle!
  5. Smelly hands after handling fish or other foods with strong smells? Use a tea rinse!
  6. Stinky fridge? Use a tea bag in the fridge to absorb odors.
  7. Pet peeves can do with some tea too! Did you know tea repels fleas? Sprinkle some dry tea leaves around your pet’s bed. If your pet loves tea….figure out how to keep ’em from eating the tea leaves! Dry tea leaves also help deodorize pet litter boxes.
  8. Make an air freshener with lavender or other flavored herbal tea in a bag and place it under your seat to prevent odors. Ha, ha! You know what I mean!
  9. Fan of potpourri? Great use for tea! If you’ve hoarded old tea bags, don’t brew them. Create a potpourri and enjoy the mild fragrance along with scented sachets.
  10. Wet tea bags can soothe sunburns. Also effective on minor burns. Sunburn all over the body? It is a tea bath for you!
  11. Warm wet tea bags can get rid of puffiness around the eyes and relieve tired eyes. The sight of tea bags on your eyes is also great for a good laugh.
  12. Got a boil? Cover it with a wet tea bag and leave it on to help the boil drain out easily.
  13. Apply tea bags on blisters and sores to get rid of the infection.
  14. Painful injection? Use a wet teabag on the injection site for relief.
  15. Brewed tea is a great hair conditioner; use it to rinse your hair. Leave it on for a few minutes and rinse with water again. Tea is also a natural hair dye.
  16. Acne? Wash your face with green tea to reduce them.
  17. For smelly feet, soak them in strong tea for about 15 minutes a day to zap the foot odor.
  18. Burn tea leaves to repel mosquitoes.
  19. Add used tea leaves in potted plants — good as a fertilizer, especially for roses.
  20. Great as a remedy for colds — with ginger.

Now go grab a cup of tea and enjoy . . .

Carlo Zeno’s 10 reasons for not leaving a comment…gasp!

Linda Ng’s 20 life lessons she learned from traveling.

Thank you Debra Groves Harman, MEd for this lovely pub!

Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles ❤ Did you smile today?

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Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles
The Penny Pub

Boost Nominator, Publisher, Namaste Now! Editor, The Narrative Arc, Poet. Loves coffee, travel, cooking, photography, kicking diabetes' ass. vidyasury.com