Top 10 Most Unorthodox Tea Uses

This beloved and ancient drink is for more than sipping. Tea has an abundance of uses and we are here for all of them. Discover the many ways you can add tea into nearly all aspects of your life. With this amount of benefits, it’s difficult to imagine a life not infused with tea and its plethora of uses.

1. For Dye

More recently, we’re starting to look at natural ways of doing things. Dye that is made from synthetic materials is far less desirable than organic approaches, making tea a perfect medium for reaching your favorite earthy tones. Light-colored fabrics are able to be temporarily dyed when steeped in tea after having reached room temperature. Fancy bringing out the dark tones in your hair? Use either tea or coffee; both tea and coffee work wonderfully to emphasize the color by simply using the steeped drink daily on your locks. The stronger you make the drink and the longer you steep it, the more pronounced the color. Experiment with the natural dye and see what you come up with!

2. Soap Making

We are all becoming more increasingly aware of what we put in and on our bodies. This means more of us are happy to use and make our own beauty products. Soap making is a wonderful way to control what fragrances you use, including tea, which has a delicious, earthy tinge to it. Plus, tea has exfoliating properties that would work well on dry skin. There are many all-natural soap recipes that would work perfect with an extra ingredient of tea leaves. Remember how we mentioned tea’s use is perfect for dying fabric? You could even use tea to give your soap a rich shade of the natural color.

3. Bubble Bath

Stress is known as a silent-killer, so it’s incredibly important to find a way to manage it. While tea is not used as a panacea for life’s worries, it might be regarded as such when you consider the relaxing properties it has– and not only for when you drink it. Place a few tea bags in the water temperature of your choice for a bath; enjoy the tea water for its cleansing and relaxing properties. The scent alone is undeniably relaxing!

4. Cocktails

The idea of a summertime cocktail might not immediately conjure up the image of tea, but there are many ways you can mix the health-beneficial drink. Depending on your preference, grab your favorite type of tea and steep it. From there, add your favorite sparkling hard drink. Make your own hard Arnold Palmers by mixing hard lemonade and your favorite tea. Or take your favorite spiced tea and mix it with hard cider. The options are endless and can easily be built around your drinking desires. The flexibility of these cocktails means easily transitioning through the seasons. Peach tea and Prosecco? Yes, please.

5. Deodorizing

There are a few methods of deodorizing the world has to offer, so chances are you haven’t considered tea as a deodorization go-to. If you have left-over tea that you have no intention of drinking (which you wouldn’t to after this, anyway), consider using your tea in place of baking soda in spaces like your fridge or closet. The tea works to absorb the less-desirable fragrances. Looking for a way to make your home smell like fall whilst giving it a good cleaning? Use flavored teas such as any spiced tea on your carpet by sprinkling the tea leaves around to absorb the foul odors. Give the leaves around 20 minutes before vacuuming them up, leaving a pleasant holiday scent. When using a non-flavored tea, you will be left with a deodorized carpet.

6. Facial Scrub

We mentioned that tea has excellent exfoliation properties. Unlike with soap making, you can simply use tea leaves in their natural form to exfoliate your face. As with any exfoliation process, ensure that you’re not rubbing too hard to remove dead skin cells. If you much prefer, you can always melt down your favorite soap bar to use for face-cleansing and add tea leaves to the melted soap, placing it in a mold of your choice, so that you’ll have both a cleanser and exfoliator when the soap hardens.

7. Fragrance

What a fantastic use for tea this is, especially around the holidays where options are endless. Potpourri makes a wonderful gift not only for yourself, but others as well. As we approach the holiday season, consider making a delicious smelling potpourri with tea. There are many different ways that you can make a great potpourri, so think about your favorite scented teas and how you can incorporate them into your mix. By placing your mix in a glass votive, set in the place you’d like for the scent to be strongest, you’re creating a piece of art with purpose. Feel free to add your tea leaves into a sachet and place it in drawers that make the clothes within it smell like the furniture itself. You’ll have clothes that smell like your favorite tea and less like the furniture your items are in.

8. Cleaning

There are many harsh chemicals that we use to clean with, some of them being very unsafe if proper precautions are not instituted. Whether you are worried about these issues or not, it’s always wonderful to have a great cleaning solution on hand in case of surprise guests, or if you run out of cleaning supplies. For instance, you can steep a few bags within your toilet for around half an hour before removing and scrubbing the toilet clean. No harsh chemicals that require all windows to be open and the bathroom fan to be on. While you’re at it, you’ll be able to use freshly brewed tea in a spray bottle for cleaning both your windows and mirrors. By adding tea into your home-cleaning procedure, you’re making the process a little more enjoyable, right?

9. Weight Loss Aid

This one is one of our favorite uses for tea. Green tea has been used and shown to help aid in weight-loss, as well as improve the likelihood of keeping weight off once it’s been lost. This is excellent for those who are looking to speed up their metabolism and gain other natural benefits that tea has to offer. Furthermore, tea can also make you feel as though you have a boost in energy along with this weight-loss. For those who are not seeking to lose weight, tea is great for helping your metabolism which is always a plus.

10. Socializing

Tea, like coffee, or going out for a drink, is a great reason for many of us to get together. Life can be incredibly hectic, but tea and similar drinks allow us to step back and enjoy time with one another. There are many benefits to this drink, and many different types for everyone to find something they enjoy. With the added benefits, what’s not to like about drinking tea with someone you haven’t seen in a while, or perhaps a friend you see daily? Of all the uses one can get out of tea, spending time with our favorite people definitely has to be one of our favorites.

Looking at the list of the most unusual uses for tea, which would you say is the most surprising? Whether you decide to include it in your daily food consumption or you add it to your cleaning methods, we’re certain that tea will become a household favorite of yours as it has ours. What’s your favorite use for tea?
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