DIY: Ways to Repurpose Used Tea Bags

DIY 5 Minutes

Don’t throw away those used tea bags!  The How Stuff Works website has loads of uses for them!

From: HOWSTUFFWORKS.COM:

There are lots of things you can do with a used tea bag.

Key Takeaways

You can repurpose used tea bags in a variety of ways, including deodorizing carpets, rejuvenating your face, reducing puffiness around eyes, easing sunburns and adding flavor to rice. They can also enhance bath time, clean hair, act as DIY sachets, fertilize plants, deep-clean hands, deodorize smelly areas, help clean pots and pans, make glass shine, marinate meats and even patch up lawn spots. The organic matter within tea bags is rich in potential for upcycling, offering environmentally friendly solutions for common household tasks.

The next time you brew yourself a steaming cup of tea, resist the natural instinct to chuck that soggy bag in the trash. As it turns out, the organic matter within tea bags is chock full of potential for upcycling! Also, the tea bags themselves are no friend of the environment, either, so the more use you can get out of them before they hit the landfill, the better.

Check out these 15 amazing and creative ways to reuse tea bags to their fullest potential. Unless otherwise specified, these are for use with black tea.

1. Deodorize Stinky Carpets and Rugs

Feet and pets wreak havoc on carpets and rugs. Dry out tea bags after use, then rip ’em open and sprinkle the organic matter within on your carpets and rugs. Follow up with a thorough vacuuming. This is an easy, chemical-free way to deodorize floor coverings that won’t cost you a dime extra.

2. Rejuvenate Your Face

Make a DIY face scrub using the contents of used tea bags. All you have to do is put the used tea leaves into a bowl. Then, add a teaspoon (at least) of honey and mix well. Lightly work the mixture into your facial skin, using circular motions. Allow it to sit for five minutes, then rinse and enjoy a revitalized, glowing complexion!

3. Make Eyes Less Puffy

Along the same lines, used tea bags are fabulous at bringing puffy eyes back to normal. Simply soak two tea bags in warm water. Next, place them in the refrigerator and let them cool down for a few minutes. Then, kick back and relax with a tea bag on each eye for about five minutes.

4. Ease Sunburns

Much like with the eye treatment, soak two tea bags in warm water, then put them in the refrigerator. Once cooled off, place the tea bags directly on the site of the sunburn and hold for a few minutes. You can also soak a cloth in the tea liquid and apply that instead. Bonus: This treatment can reduce the pain of insect bites.

5. Add Flavor to Rice

Add a little extra pep to rice (or any grain, really) thanks to a tea bag. Simply place the bag in the pot of boiling water for a minute or two to let the flavor infuse. Then, use that tea-infused water to cook the grain of your choice as normal. Use, for example, jasmine tea to infuse jasmine rice.

6. Class up Bath Time

Who needs pricy bath salts for scent when tea bags work just as well? Pop a couple in your next bath and enjoy a delightfully relaxing aroma. Chamomile, peppermint or jasmine teas would be particularly good for this.

7. Clean Your Hair

Hair products will build up over time, no matter how often you shampoo. To get hair squeaky-clean, simply soak three or four tea bags in a cup of warm water. Shampoo and condition as normal, then finish off by pouring the tea-water over your head. Do not rinse!

8. DIY Sachets

Air fresheners can get expensive. Plus, they don’t really smell all that “fresh.” Stop the endless spraying and turn used tea bags into DIY sachets. To accomplish, dry out some used tea bags. Then, add a few drops of essential oil in your favorite scent. Place them anywhere sachets are typically used, like in dresser drawers, closets or the laundry room.

9. Fertilize the Plants

Tea leaves are nothing more than organic matter, so it only makes sense to use them for gardening! There are a couple of ways to use them for this purpose. Either tear open the used bag and mix the leaves in with the soil, or add them to your composting pile. Note: It’s best to add tea to soil around acid-loving plants, like rosebushes or ferns. That’s because the tannic acid in tea tends to make lower the soil’s pH and increases its acidity, which could pose a problem for plants that do well in neutral to alkaline soils.

Tea leaves can be added to soil as extra fertilizer. Just be sure to remove the tea bag, which is usually not biodegradable.

10. Deep-clean Hands

Some stinky scents really stick to the hands. The next time you can’t seem to scrub away the smell of onions, cigarettes, seafood, etc., turn instead to tea bags. Just use them the same way you would a bar of soap. The organic tea leaves will banish those unfortunate smells in no time!

11. Deodorize Smelly Areas

Some places, like the garbage can or the litter box, are just extra stinky. Cut their “ick” factor way down by tearing open a tea bag and spreading the dried leaves in the can and/or litter box. Another spot that often needs deodorizing is the refrigerator. To do this, put a couple of bags in a bowl in an inconspicuous area of the refrigerator, where they can effectively absorb odors. Replace the bags every few days and enjoy a much nicer-smelling appliance.

12. De-crustify Pots and Pans

If all the scrubbing in the world just isn’t cutting it, leave a used tea bag to soak in that stubborn pot or pan. Tea contains tannic acid, which can break down grease. With a little time and patience, it should make cleaning the dish much easier.

13. Ditch the Glass Cleaner

To make windows and mirrors really shine, simply dampen a used tea bag. Use it to rub the glass surface, then follow up with a paper towel. You can also pour some leftover brewed tea into an empty spray bottle and use it as a glass cleaner.

14. Marinate Meats

Easily marinate pork, chicken or turkey with the help of a couple of tea bags. Simply put a cup of water, two used tea bags and the meat into a zip-close bag. Allow to marinate overnight, then cook and enjoy a flavorful cut of meat.

15. Patch up the Lawn

To beautify those bald lawn spots, place used tea bags where needed, then add grass seed. The bag will keep the seeds in place, unlike regular old dirt. Do this only using biodegradable, non-plastic tea bags, of course. Or open the tea bags and use just the tea leaves.

Tea has been enjoyed for centuries, but the tea bag wasn’t invented until 1908-ish when a New York-based merchant named Thomas Sullivan decided to send tea samples in silk bags to his customers. They incorrectly assumed that the entire bag should be placed in the pot. Thus, the tea bag was born!

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should I dry the used tea bags before using them as DIY sachets?

To prevent mold growth, dry used tea bags completely until there’s no moisture left before adding essential oils for DIY sachets.

Are all used tea bags safe for composting or use in gardens?

Most tea bags are safe for composting or gardening, but ensure the bags are a biodegradable material and free from plastic fibers to avoid environmental harm.

SOURCE: HOWSTUFFWORKS.COM

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Published by pat frederick

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37 thoughts on “DIY: Ways to Repurpose Used Tea Bags”

  11. Charlotte99
    May 30, 2025 12:27 am

    @sentdefender
    3h

    Today the FBI and the Justice Department announced the arrest of Nathan Vilas Laatsch, a 28 year old Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) employee for attempting to transmit classified information to a friendly foreign government.

    Laatsch, who held a TS/SCI clearance, said that he had “completed intelligence products, some unprocessed intelligence, and other assorted classified documentation” that he wanted to send.

    The FBI was subsequently tipped off and made contact with Laatsch under the guise of the aforementioned foreign government. Laatsch would end up transcribing and smuggling out classified products on 2 occasions to who he thought was an official of the friendly foreign government, and was arrested today after the second exchange.

    https://nitter.poast.org/sentdefender/status/1928230994106274056#m12

    Canada?
    UK?
    EU?

    BREAKING: Nathan Vilas Laatsch, a 28-year-old IT specialist employed by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in Alexandria, Virginia, was arrested on May 29, 2025, and charged with attempting to transmit classified national defense information to a foreign government.

    Laatsch, who began working at the DIA in 2019 and held a Top Secret security clearance, allegedly initiated contact with a friendly foreign government in March 2025. He expressed discontent with the values of the current U.S. administration and offered to provide classified materials, including DIA intelligence products and other sensitive documents.

    Unbeknownst to Laatsch, his communications were intercepted, and he began interacting with an FBI undercover agent posing as a representative of the foreign government.

    Over the course of the operation, Laatsch took deliberate steps to exfiltrate classified information. He transcribed classified data by hand, removed it from his secure workplace, and stored it on a thumb drive.

    On May 28, 2025, he placed the thumb drive, containing documents marked Secret and Top Secret, at a prearranged “dead drop” location for retrieval by the supposed foreign agent.

    ***In exchange for the information, Laatsch sought citizenship from the foreign government, indicating a desire to relocate.

    The FBI, in coordination with the DIA, monitored Laatsch’s actions, leading to his arrest. The case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, with support from the DIA, and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

    Laatsch faces serious charges related to the unauthorized disclosure of national defense information, a federal offense with significant penalties. As stated in the Justice Department’s announcement, he is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The incident underscores ongoing national security concerns regarding insider threats within agencies handling sensitive information.

    Like

  14. getting confused. weren’t we told that rescissions need to go in a separate bill?

    ICTHEMATRIX
    May 30, 2025 8:02 am

    Senators apparently are actually moving in the right direction to IMPROVE the budget bill. From an article interview with Senator Mike Lee in Daily Caller:

    “At the moment, no. In fact, there’s no chance it could pass the Senate right now, but we do have two legislative chambers. It’s passed the House, come over to the Senate. The Big, Beautiful Bill is big isn’t yet as beautiful as it needs to be, but there’s still time to fix it. And the Senate version is going to be more aggressive,” Lee told Kirk. “It can and I think it has or else it’s not going to pass. Now, look, the Republicans in the House gave us some good wins. This bill extends the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to make sure that we don’t end up with a $4 trillion tax bomb going off and exploding in front of the American people, it helps to revitalize the military, it funds the completion of the southern border wall, helps fund the crackdown on illegal immigration. Those are all great things.”
    However, the senator told Kirk the bill does not sufficiently mitigate government spending.
    “We’ve gotta deliver more than that though. And we increased spending by like 58% just our last five years, just since the pandemic. So we got to address the spending crisis to a greater degree than this bill does,” he said. “Under this bill, under the CBO [Congressional Budget Office] projections, we’re still looking at $2.2 trillion a year on average in deficits over the next ten years. That’s not good enough. We gotta get to a point where we can balance it during this president’s time in office.”
    GOP Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Rand Paul of Kentucky are also among the fiscal hawks affecting the deliberations regarding spending deficits. Johnson noted Lee and Scott as senators who are seeking additional spending cuts in the bill.
    “If they brought it to the floor like right now, there’s not a chance it’ll get the 51 votes it needs … Look, we all know we have to balance the budget,” Scott told Kirk. “Look, we know that it’s getting harder to sell our treasuries, we know interest rates are going up. We want to get interest rates down, we can get inflation under control. That means balance the budget.”

    Johnson is pushing for the government to go back to pre-pandemicspending levels — a nearly $6 trillion reduction — and describes the present bill as “completely unacceptable.”

    Like

      1. Marica has…
        Marica
        May 30, 2025 at 9:43 am Edit

        Yesterday evening…She texted me that she misses everyone and will be a couple more days..Her sis is gonna bring her home and stay with her a bit..She will be on oxygen…Grandson brought her some things from home and got rid of all her cigs!

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Please tell Filly we love and miss her and are praying for her!

          She’s got to get home soon, because we want to read all her garden and bird reports.

          Liked by 1 person

      2. how have you been?
        been thinking about you, hoping you’re okay!
        I hope you’re taking some time to replenish your spirit, soul and body. I’m here if you need anything!!

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Thanks so much, Pat. As I told kea…We are doing OK – it’s taken a couple of weeks to catch up on rest and of course, we are still sad.  It’s not that I would wish her back to suffer more with the progressive disability, but we do miss her.    It took a while to stop waking up and thinking I needed to go check on her.

          It’s been a long 40 year journey.

          Oh man.  It’s been hard.  One great thing – the Lord provided a Stephen Minister to meet and talk with me.  She had a daughter with different problems but went through 30 years of struggle with her…and she’s a strong Christian.  Its good to be able to talk and share.   We women folks need to let out our feelings with someone who understands.

          Liked by 1 person

          1. that’s wonderful GA…that you have someone to talk to who’s been through what you have.
            take all the time you need to mourn. every now and then just drop a hello so we know you’re okay!

            Liked by 1 person

  16. Ausonius
    May 30, 2025 9:07 am

    I offered this late yesterday on a different topic: it is still relevant, concerning the lack of action in our Corrupt Congress…

    One good example of the corruption today and of the “process” about which President TRUMP has complained , i.e. Congress-critters dawdling and doodling and doing nothing except padding their bank accounts with “campaign contributions” from corrupt corporations.

    Namely, a Senator from Arkansas named “Boozman” (Sic!!! ) will not support “Country of Origin Labeling” for meat, because of those “ramifications” and other stuff, uh, y’ know, and uh, yeah, like, work through it, uh, ’cause times change, blah blah blah…

    “…we need to look at in the Farm Bill, and work through, just to see what the ramifications are. So many times you do things and then they have unintended consequences.

    So, in order to make a decision, and times change, uh, thinking changes. Sometimes you do need to change the direction you’re going in.

    But, you need to do that, or something like that with, you know, by having hearings and really understanding exactly what the ramifications would be one way or another.”

    AARGH!

    NO !!! Completely phony excuse to do nothing!

    Here is the “ramification” for informing me where my steak or hamburger comes from: I WILL KNOW WHERE IT COMES FROM!!!

    The End!

    But because companies from China and Brazil now control a great deal of the meat supply in America – thank you FREE TRADE THIEVES in Congress! – and because those companies have bought members of Congress like Boozman (Sic!!!), “Country of Origin Labeling” suddenly could have “ramifications” which will need to be studied and talked about for a long time, because it is “controversial.”

    Except none of that is true: no “ramifications” and NOT “controversial,” unless you want to hide the information from the consumer!

    See:

    https://www.zerohedge.com/food/senate-ag-chair-boozman-pays-cool-lip-service-calling-transparency-meat-labeling-controversial

    Since yesterday, I have discovered Boozman’s connections to BIG Agriculture, e.g. TYSON Foods!

    New Senate agriculture committee leadership has extensive ties to industry heavyweights

    Like

  17. WeThePeople2016
    May 30, 2025 10:56 am
    Reply to Keynote Speaker

    🔥MASSIVE win: SUPREME COURT SIDES WITH TRUMP — allows him to revoke Biden legal status for HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of “migrants”

    Trump can immediately start the deportation process of 400K Haitians, Venezuelans, Cubans, and Nicaraguans brought in by Biden.

    🇺🇸Join👉 @SGTnewsNetwork

    https://t.me/SGTnewsNetwork/94901

    BREAKING: The Supreme Court has cleared the way for the Trump administration to end temporary protected status and work authorization for more than 500,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

    @GeneralMCNews

    https://t.me/GeneralMCNews/13668

    Like

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