Tips and Tricks for Cleaning with Tea Bags

What’s better than sipping a relaxing cup of tea to start your day, refresh your afternoons, and calm your tired mind and body at night? If you are a true tea lover, surely, you are going through a lot of teabags, but did it ever occur to you that they have other amazing uses? I can’t blame you, because who would have thought that cleaning with tea bags was possible?

Next time you get a sip of your favorite cup of tea, you might want to think twice before you chuck your used tea bags in the trash bin. Here, you’ll discover some easy cleaning with tea bags tips that will 100% help you better take care of your home!

Cleaning mode engaged? Let’s get started!

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Pin showing the tea bags and title of cleaning with tea bags

Some Tea Bag Trivia!

Did you know that America ranks 35th in the top 55 tea-drinking nations? In 2019, statistics revealed that Americans consume over 3.8 billion gallons of tea which equals 84 billion servings of tea.

There’s no doubt that we love tea, especially black tea. According to a survey, the primarily consumed tea in the USA is black tea, followed by green tea, while only a few of the population prefer other teas such as dark, white, and oolong tea.

With all of its health benefits and relaxing effects, we have grown a love for tea through the years. But this time we won’t only appreciate tea but the cleaning abilities of tea bags as well!

Why Tea Bags are Good for Cleaning:

Teas sometimes leave a stain on our mugs that’s why it’s so hard to believe that tea bags can be a great household cleaner. However, I am happy to break it to you that tea bags have excellent cleaning properties that we can take advantage of!

Tannins are plant compounds found in tea and other beverages. This chemical can cut through grease, add shine to wood, prevent rust, and even provide some healing properties. Amazing, right?

Apart from tannins, tea bags are also natural odor absorbers. They can help you get rid of any smelly odors. To have an idea of how you can do this, check out these cleaning with tea bags tips below!

Easy and Effective Tips for Cleaning With Tea Bags

Instead of throwing out your used tea bag right after you finish your drink, why not make the most out of its incredible cleaning abilities as well? You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain! Here are some ways you can use your used tea bags for cleaning!

Make Glass Look Shiny and New

Used tea bags make weak tea. Weak tea is great for cleaning and shining mirrors, windows, eyeglasses, and other glass furniture. It helps in removing fingerprints, dirt, and grime. Just spray weak tea or rub a damp tea bag on the glass surface and wipe it clean with a lint-free cloth or paper towel. They will surely look as good as new and with much less chemicals!

Prevent Your Cookware from Rusting

Tannins in the tea can protect your cast iron cookware from rust as it prevents the oxidation that causes rusting. Clean your cookware and wipe a damp black used tea bag on its surface to keep moisture from ruining your cast iron!

Remove Grease from Dishes

Have greasy dishes, baking sheets, and utensils? Place it all on your sink, add warm water, drop two to three used tea bags in it, and let it soak overnight. You will be amazed at how little scrubbing you’ll have to do in the morning after the tannins in the tea reduce the grease on your dishes.

Polish and Shine Hardwood Floor and Furniture

Apart from removing grease and grime, tannins in black tea can also naturally shine wood. Swipe used tea bags on the wooden pieces of furniture you wanted to clean and dry them with a cloth.

If you are cleaning the floor, boil a few tea bags in a liter of water. After it’s cooled down, dip a soft cloth in it and wring it until it’s only damp, and wipe it on your wooden floor. When done, dry the floor with another soft cloth.

Freshen Up Your Carpet and Rugs

Having a problem with smelly and dirty carpets and rugs? Dry your used tea bags and sprinkle their contents on them. Allow the tea leaves to settle for about 20 minutes to an hour before you start vacuuming. You can use your favorite tea so you can enjoy the smell it will leave on your carpet and rugs.

Extricate Dirt from Toilet

Yes. Used tea bags can also remove tough stains in the toilet. Just let it soak for several hours, scrub it after, and flush it when done. Instant toilet bowl cleaner!

Shoo Away Mice

According to some, rodents hate the smell of peppermint. If you have peppermint tea at home and you specifically liked this tea, better use your used tea bag to shoo away these creepy-crawlies.

All you have to do is place them strategically around the house — inside your storage cabinets or your doors. Adding a few drops of peppermint oil will also enhance the smell and make it more effective.

Banish Unwanted Odors

Ran out of baking soda? Keep your fridge fresh and free from odors by putting some used tea bags inside. Place them in an open container or stash them on the back shelf of your fridge. They magically absorb the unwanted smell and odors and leave nothing but a fresh and clean scent.

Replace them after a day or two for continuously wonderful results.

Apart from this, used tea bags are also effective in removing smelly odors on hands and shoes.

When prepping food, using and cutting garlic, onions, and other smelly ingredients is inevitable. Rubbing your hands with tea leaves or rinsing them with tea can help you eliminate those odors.

On the other hand, you don’t need to throw away your stinky shoes especially if they still look good. Put used dried tea bags in each shoe, and they will quickly remove those bad odors.

Plus, if your shoes are full of grime and dirt, you can also easily clean them by rubbing some damp used tea bags onto the dirty surfaces.

Aid in Cleaning the Fireplace

Prevent all that dust from rising as you clean your fireplace. Before you get started with your cleaning, get your recently used tea bags and sprinkle their wet tea leaves on top of the ash. The moisture will keep the ash from spreading around, making it less messy and dusty.

Must-Haves for Tea Drinkers

Want to level up your tea time? Here are some highly recommended tea accessories and other tea must-haves you can order online today! If you are looking for gifts for a tea lover in your life, these items will make a great gift as well!

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