Things You Never Thought You Could Do with Tea!

There are many different varieties of tea that people all over the world drink, hot and cold, herbal, fruity, green, white and black, while enjoying all of the health benefits that tea has to offer. Many people do not realize that these natural nutrients that are contained in tea can be used for things other than a soothing afternoon drink. I have discovered over time, that tea can be beneficial for a lot more then I would have ever imagined. Here are some of my favorites.

Did you know that you can freshen up an old musty carpet with tea leaves? It is really quite simple too. All that you have to do is to sprinkle a thin layer of dried tea leaves over a dusty area of carpet and leave it there for 20 minutes or longer. The next step is simple. Just vacuum over the area that you treated with tea with your vacuum cleaner and the tea will have permeated the carpet, leaving the entire room smelling nice and fresh. As an added bonus, the tea in the vacuum will deodorize the vacuum cleaner as well! I recommend an herbal tea such as lavender, mint, fruity varieties or jasmine tea. It will leave a stronger fragrance.

Do your house plants seem to dry out and wilt in the winter? Here is how to help keep your house plants hydrated all winter long. All you have to do is to bury a few teabags into the soil around the base of your plants. When you water them the tea bags will retain the moisture a lot longer then just the soil alone, thus keeping the soil from drying out too quickly in dry cold weather. Additionally, the nutrients from the tea leaves will slowly and steadily give nourishment to your plants, giving them a more healthy look and it will keep the leaves from wilting.

Enhance the flavor and nutrients in steamed vegetables. When you are boiling the water to cook your veggies in, add a few tea bags to the water. This will add a very subtle flavor to your veggies and as we all know, tea has a lot of anti-oxidants, too. The anti-oxidants will seep into to your vegetables. Your vegetables will have a nice different taste to them. Try different varieties of tea in order to create different flavors.

Do you suffer from dry itchy skin in the winter? Try this trick. Take some black tea bags and steep them. Put the wet bags into the refrigerator for about 5 minutes then squeeze out the excess water. Rub the tea bags all over the affected dry areas of your body. Next, put on a light coating of body lotion. Why does this work? It is because black tea contains natural astringents that help remove built up dead skin cells and prevent skin infections. You will find that your skin feels tingly and fresh as well as gives your skin a healthy looking glow.

Tea helps stop bleeding. When a slip of the razor nicks or cuts your skin while you are shaving, there is a simple solution. Take a tea bag and dampen it, then apply the moist tea bag to the cut or nick for one minute. Thats all it takes! It will make your blood clot very quickly. Tea of all varieties (green black and white) contain tannic acid which is a know blood clotting agent. It also is a natural cleanser and removes the bacteria, soothing your skin without stinging it.

Do you like your meat to be tender? Tea is the perfect solution! Add equal portions of beef stock and strong brewed tea to your pot roast, curry or stew. Once again, the tannic acid in tea is the hero. It is a natural meat tenderizer which is known for breaking down proteins in meat fibers. The meat will practically melt in your mouth!

Do you have old, dull looking wood furniture that you wish you had the money to replace? No need to spend the money! There is a much simpler solution. To make wood furniture look new and shiny without using harsh toxic chemicals, steep several tea bags in a full kettle of water. Dip a cloth into the freshly brewed tea. (Fiber clothes are my favorites) Now scrub the wood with the cloth until clean. The tannins in the tea will condition the wood and give a a beautiful glossy shine. If your wood is so worn that it needs re-staining, you can use more tea bags in your brew and scrub until the wood catches the stain from the tea. The tea when strong enough will actually stain the wood so that it will look like it is brand new again.