Uses for Used Tea Bags

The next time you remove your tea bag from a steamy cup of herbal refreshment and throw it in the trash, think again. A used tea bag can reinvent itself as a natural healer for a variety of bodily ailments, a furniture cleaner and even a healthy treat for your garden. So use it before you lose it.

Healing the Body

One of the more commonly known uses for used tea bags is soothing puffy, tired eyes by placing the bags on them. Green tea is especially good for bodily ailments, as it contains a high dose of tannins, which are used to protect plants from predators. But for humans, tannins can act as a champion against insect bites, razor burns and sunburns due to their anti-inflammatory and antibacterial components. Tannins in tea can also help combat warts when reapplied a few days in a row.

Cleaning Furniture

Oddly enough, used tea bags can be used for cleaning your house or even getting rid of old furniture polish. Place a couple of old tea bags in a quart of boiled water, and let it cool. Then dip a rag or cloth into the tea water to remove dirt or ugly polish and varnish from wood furniture and floors.

Used tea bags can shine a mirror, too. Just dampen a soft cloth with warm water that contains used tea bags, and wipe the mirror to get streak-free results.

Gardening and Recycling

Recycle your tea bags by dropping the remnants of the tea into your soil in the backyard, which are healthy for your plants and allow them to grow. Mix leftover tea-bag contents with charcoal or ash, and use it in the soil of your potted and ground plants.

Used tea bags can also be helpful in helping speed up the decomposition process of your compost pile. Pour some warm hot tea on the pile to "draw acid-producing bacteria," according to "Reader's Digest."