By: Ireland Lee

When most people think of tea, they almost immediately think Britain and a teacup with the question of “one sugar or two?” or “would you like cream in that?” However, tea originally derived from China dating as far back as the Han Dynasty, 206 BC – 220 AD. Legend has it that Emperor Shen Nung was having some water boiled for him outside while some leaves from a tree accidentally blew in, creating the very first cup of tea. It is not dated for tea being brought to Britain until 1658. It wasn’t until Charles II married a Portuguese princess that was a tea addict that it became fashionable to drink. From then on, they started importing it and selling it in coffee houses. However, it was still too expensive for the working class due to the tax. This is one factor of what ultimately caused The Boston Tea Party, one of the biggest moments in United States history.

Tea has been the reason for lots of history all over the world. Today, it is considered the most popular drink in the world. Tea Zone has an incredible selection of teas.

Aside from traditional tea-drinking, it can be used for many other things. Below is a list providing different ways to use tea leaves and bags whether it’s new or used.

Brewed Tea for Art

· Use tea to paint

Who needs paint when you can use tea? Tea is a staining substance that can be used for not only dying but painting. So, take out a canvas and get to creating art!

· Dye paper and fabric

i. You can restore color back into black clothing:
Everyone knows that over time black fabric fades, and it can fade quickly. This is a way to restore your favorite black t-shirt instead of throwing it out!

To save it, follow these steps:
a. Wash and rinse as you would normally do.
b. Soak them in a concoction of one cup of strong tea and four cups of clean water.
c. Let sit for 10 minutes, wring, and hang dry.

ii. You can make white fabrics and paper to look more rustic:
Back in the day, many movies and plays would use tea to dye paper (paper stock is the most ideal) or some white or off-white fabrics to make it look dated, or vintage. Lace is a very popular type of fabric to use this method on.

iii. You can use tea to dye eggs. It brings a new way to celebrate Easter!

iv. A less popular, or less known, dying use for tea is for dying hair.

Add Tea Leaves to a Face Mask

· Skin finds tea to be hydrating. With using it as a face mask, your teeth don’t have to be suscepted to staining if that is something you’re worried about. The best tea option to use for this is green tea as it is full of antioxidants. In addition, it can help cure acne, reverse sun damage, and lower the risk of skin cancer.
· Place warm tea bags on the eyes for reducing dark circles. Caffeine is great for pulling out puffiness and shrink blood cells.

Use Tea Bags to Soothe Sunburn and Razor Burn

· By placing cooled wet tea bags on sunburns or razor burns, it reduces the inflammation and itching.

Infuse Bath Water with Tea Leaves

· Adding tea bags or leaves to a warm bath can help by implementing the properties as discussed under the face mask.

Steam Pores with Tea

· It has been known for a long time that steaming your face helps with opening your face’s pores to help with acne. By adding a tea bag, it aids more in drawing out toxins as well as toning and hydrating the skin.

Strengthen Hair with Green Tea Extract

· Studies have proven that the properties of green tea extract can prevent hair loss. By applying to your hair for about 10 minutes before shampooing like normal, it can strengthen the strands of your hair, but also make it appear shinier and smoother.

Treat Rashes and Bug Bites with Tea Bags

· By placing cooled wet tea bags on rashes and bug bites, it reduces inflammation and itching.

Spark a Campfire with Tea Bags

· If you don’t have anything to kindle a fire with but you have tea bags, you are in luck! It is the perfect thing to spark your fire with. Save your used tea bags and allow them to dry out. To stock up, store them in a container. For lighting a fireplace, use as you would a newspaper and light a couple of tea bags on fire and use them to light the timber inside. For a grill or bonfire, add either a little lighter fluid or melted wax to strengthen the spark process.

Natural Air Fresher or Deodorizer Using Tea

· Who needs a tree-hanging car air freshener when you have tea bags?! Hang it on your rearview mirror or in front of the air vent to freshen the aroma of your vehicle.
· Do you remember filling old stockings or socks with potpourri to leave in your drawers? This is a rendition of that. Take an old sock or muslin bag with tea leaves to avoid that musty drawer smell.
· Leaves of tea make an excellent natural deodorizer.
i. Forget the baking soda for the fridge and use tea leaves instead!
· Sprinkle it in cat litter as an odor neutralizer/deodorizer.
· Sprinkle dried or steeped tea leaves over your carpet and let sit 20 minutes before vacuuming to freshen it up a bit.

Dried Tea Leaves for Decoration

· This option kind of goes hand in hand with using tea leaves as an air freshener. Tea leaves can be used as potpourri instead of the traditional flower petals. Whether it be drying out already used tea leaves to repurpose or using the leaves from a tea that you don’t like, by adding it to a vase or bowl creates a decoration.
· For a table setting, add the leaves to a small clear votive that you can place a tea candle on top of.

Cleaning with Tea

· Clean/polish wood surfaces: i. Use a rag and strong room-temperature tea to clean and polish wood. It is great for cutting through grease and dust. For lighter wood, it is best to use a white or green to as a darker tea could potentially stain some. Oolong and black tea are great options for dark wood.
· Substitute spray cleaner for mirrors and windows and instead put cold, brewed tea in a spray bottle for a cleaner (no pun intended) option to the chemicals.
· For cleaning a fireplace, sprinkle wet tea leaves to the ash in the. Due to this, it helps contain the ash, so it doesn’t blow all over the place as much.
· Since tea can help cut through grease and grime, you can add a teabag to dishwater to soak those extra difficult items. Let them sit in the water overnight for easier clean the next morning.

Tea Fertilizer

· Feel guilty of using a tea bag and then throwing away the remains? No need to look any further! You can use it to fertilize or garden or potted plants. Tea leaves are rich in nitrogen, which aids in plant growth. This method is a great eco-friendly option for disposing of it.

a. You can use the rest of your cooled brewed tea to water your plants.
b. You can take the tea leaves and mix it with other organic wastes creating compost or potting plant mix.
c. Because tea is slightly, or mildly, acidic which is great for either plant that needs acidic soil or neutralizes basic soil.
d. Rose bushes thrive the most of any other plant as it helps them to produce more blooms.

Read Your Fortune with Tea Leaves

· Reading your tea leaf fortune is not just for Harry Potter! This art is known as tasseography. Who needs a weekly or daily horoscope when you can get a personalized reading from your tea leaves?

There are many uses for tea bags and leaves. These are just 13 of those ways you can use tea in addition to the joy of sipping on a cup of tea.