Monday, December 03, 2007
Posted by Miss Neddy at 05:43 PM | Comments (9) | Permalink
Categories: Tea Other uses

If you have any old tea leaves which don’t taste so good anymore, don’t throw them away! Tea and tea leaves can be put to use in a variety of ways. Put the old tea leaves in a pot of boiling water and steep for at least 10 minutes. Sieve out the tea leaves (or if you had the foresight to put them in tea bags or herb bags, leave them aside) and let the tea cool down. Once down to room temperature, you can chill it in the refrigerator; this will keep for around a week.

For abrasions and small cuts, tea is a good antiseptic. Pat some tea onto your injuries and let dry.

After washing your hair, rinse with tea. Do not rinse off. This will give your dark hair a deep lustre and shine. For lighter haired people, try chamomile infusions instead.

For people with oily or acne-prone faces, try rinsing with tea after washing your face.

For sore and tired feet, soak them in cool or warm tea for 15 to 20 minutes. Make the tea stronger for this, by at least doubling the amount of tea leaves you use for steeping.

Water your houseplants (especially ferns) occasionally with tea to fertilize them, or sprinkle some used tea leaves on the soil.

If you’ve been handling anything that leaves a strong smell on your hands (raw fish, strong cheese, certain fruits), rinse with strong tea to get the smell off.

If you use tea bags, don’t throw them away after a brew. Wet or dry, they have their uses too.

You can also chill used tea bags and use them for your eyes. Place cool tea bags on your eyelids for around 10 minutes. As tea is astringent, make sure you moisturise afterwards.

Hang used tea bags out to dry, and when thoroughly dried, you can use them as cupboard and shoe deodorants. Place the tea bags directly into your shoes at home, or hang them in your cupboards to remove musty and other unpleasant odours. The tea bags can last up to two weeks.

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