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Do you ever brew a cup of tea and then just throw out the tea bag? Seems wasteful, doesn’t it? You could use it to make a second cup, and although it’ll be a little more diluted, it should still make pretty decent tea. But what about after that? You won’t get a good third cup out of it, but it still feels like a crime to just toss it. So don’t. Hang on to it and use that old tea bag in these clever new ways:

1. Add flavor to rice:

A used tea bag is the perfect addition when you cook rice and other grains. Just put it in the pot for a surprising and subtle flavor boost.

2. Plants:

Add the tea bag to your compost, or just sprinkle the leaves around plants for fertilizer and extra nutrients.

3. Air freshener:

Add a few drops of essential oil to the tea bag for a natural air freshener. You can keep on refreshing it with essential oils as it dries out.

4. Repel mice:

Place the tea bag in cabinets and closets to deter mice and other pests.

5. Soothe skin:

Place over bruises to relieve pain and speed up healing.

6. Reduce facial swelling:

Chill a couple of used tea bags and place over your eyes for 10-20 minutes. The coolness and the antioxidants in the tea will take away the puffiness.

7. Foot soak:

Add some tea bags to a basin of water and soak feet for about 30 minutes to neutralize odors and soften calluses.

8. Relieve sunburn:

Apply to the affected area or add a few tea bags to bath water for an all-over body soak.

9. Insect bite relief:

Apply to bites to relieve itch.

10. Freshen your fridge:

Place used tea bags in an open container in your fridge.

11. Clean glass: 

Re-brew a few tea bags and put the tea in spray bottles. The tea will loosen dirt and grime to get your glass clean and sparkling.

12. Marinades:

Add the tea bags to marinades for meat or chicken. Tea is a great meat tenderizer, and you’ll love the flavor it adds!

Of course you don’t want those tea bags to spoil on you, so if you don’t use them right away, keep them in the fridge for a few days to keep them fresh.

What do you do with used tea bags? Share with us on Facebook and Twitter!

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