Crazy Domestic Cleaning with Old Teabags*

Lovers of good quality tea weep somewhat over teabags as not being quite as good as “proper” tea made with loose leaves in a teapot. However, for the rest of us, bunging a teabag in a cup of hot water (or a dozen teabags in a big teapot if you’re making tea for the masses at the finger-food lunch for the parent–teacher association meeting) is the way that we get our daily dose of the cup that cheers but not inebriates.

One thing that makes penny-pinchers everywhere cringe a little is that a teabag that’s made just one cup is still good for another cup… just. And that’s if you prefer your tea to be on the weaker side. However, hanging teabags out on the line to dry so you can reuse them makes you look stark raving bonkers, while piling them up on a saucer to reuse later attracts flies and is somewhat insanitary (and can stain the saucer). However, it really goes against the grain to just throw the once-used teabags in the trash.

You could, of course, compost the teabags. They make excellent compost and roses love them. However, before you take them to the compost heap, you can still use teabags around the home to help you clean.

Cleaning with Teabags in The Kitchen

– Damp teabags absorb smells, so put your used teabags in the fridge to absorb the odd odours. Can be used as well as or instead of baking soda.

– The tannins in tea help break grease down, so drop a used teabag into pots and pans that are soaking.

– Wipe down cast-iron pots and frying pans with a damp used teabag to help prevent rust. Buff the pots dry when you’ve finished wiping them with the teabag.

– Peppermint tea may not have the tannins of standard black tea but lots of pests hate the smell of peppermint. Put your old used mint tea bags in your pantry to deter ants and other bugs.

– Drop a few tea bags into the bottom of your rubbish bin to help absorb bad smells. You will need to throw these out periodically!

Living Room Cleaning Tips

– Snip an old teabag open and sprinkle the leaves into the kitty litter to help absorb the smell.

– Use old tea leaves to deodorize carpets. Simply cut open several damp tea bags and sprinkle them over the carpet. Leave them to sit for a few minutes to absorb smells, then vacuum up.

– If your vacuum cleaner is on the blink, you can borrow the old trick used by housemaids in pre-vacuum days: sprinkle damp tea leaves over the carpet, then sweep them all up. The damp tea leaves will collect dust.

– Dark wood likes the deep brown tones of the tannins in tea. Squeeze a few drops of tea from the end of an old tea bag and rub it into white marks or scratches on dark wooden furniture. Alternatively, use damp teabags when wiping down or dusting wooden furniture. For the best results however, you will need the services of a domestic cleaning company like https://www.tsdcleaning.co.uk. Not only they will take care of your wooden floors but the whole house too. Well, that’s in case you don’t feel like spending the whole day trying to cover a small part of your house.

Teabags in The Bathroom

– Use a damp teabag to clean mirrors. The tannins help break down grease and other gunk stuck on the glass. Buff the mirror dry with a soft lint-free cloth after cleaning with the teabag. This trick works for other glass as well, but you’d need a huge number of teabags to clean all the windows in your home, so best keep this one for mirrors. It also works really well for splashbacks in the kitchen.

– You can also make a glass cleaning spray out of twice-brewed tea and a splash of vinegar.

– Make a safe air freshener that absorbs bad smells by making a second brew with the old teabag. Remove the teabag and add a dash of white vinegar and/or essential oils. Put this in a spray bottle and use as you wish. This smells especially good with used jasmine green tea, chai or Earl Grey tea bags, as you get traces of the spices and oils as well in your air freshener.

– Some people swear by cleaning the toilet with old tea bags. According to these people, just put the old tea bags in the bowl and leave them to sit overnight, then brush and flush as usual. However, use this idea with caution, as you may end up staining the toilet bowl worse than before. Furthermore, some teabags may block the toilet. You have been warned.

Other Great Ways to Use Teabags for Cleaning

– Use old tea bags to buff up your leather shoes, especially brown leather shoes.

– Save a batch of old teabags and brew them up again. Use the resulting twice-brewed tea to wash wooden floors. Black tea is best for dark wooden floors; green tea works best for lighter coloured wood.

– Pop a couple of old teabags inside your shoes to absorb the smells. This is especially good for freshening up shoes that you haven’t worn for a while.

– Cut open a damp teabag and sprinkle the tea leaves over wood ash when you’re cleaning out a fireplace or wood-fired barbecue. This stops the ash billowing up and going everywhere (including into your face) while you remove it.

– Used herbal tea bags make good scent sachets for underwear or sock drawers. Regular tea bags do the job as well and are particularly good for sock drawers if someone in your home has sports socks that are a bit whiffy even after going through the wash.

– This isn’t really a cleaning tip, but it’s too good to leave out: If you want to give linen or cotton an aged or antique look, dye them in tea. You’ll need a really strong brew and the items will need to be soaked for a while. The longer you soak them, the darker the colour.

– Dry the teabags right out and use them as firestarters. If you drop them into the barbecue, they can add a bit of extra flavour to the smoke.