We are all here because we love a good loose-leaf tea and all the internal benefits, we receive from drinking these bountiful blends, but how can we get even more bang for our buck with loose leaf tea? Tea leaves do not only create a tasty healthy beverage they can also be used in our daily household lives. Save yourself a few bucks and learn what to do when you’re finished brewing your tea. Don’t reach for the trash can, here are a few ways that you can reuse your tea leaves!

1. Facial Masks and Exfoliants
   Green tea, matcha, and rooibos teas make great masks for the skin. Green tea and rooibos are both great for their antioxidants and provide nutrients to the skin. They can reduce swelling, help with dark under eyes, and gently exfoliate the skin.
2. Fridge Odor
   Sun dry your tea leaves after brewing, throw them in a little bowl or porous bag and throw them in the fridge. The tea leaves absorb the odours and emit their pervasive floral aroma.

3. Cooking Odor
   Although cooking a home cooked meal is always rewarding there are some foods that leave a strong scent such as fish and curry. Use your old tea leaves rid you of the left-over smell, dry your tea leaves and chop them on a cutting board or roll them with a rolling pin to expel the tea aromas to absorb the food scents.

4. Relaxation
   After brewing your calming teas such as lavender you can dry them out and place them next to your bed or under your pillow for help with falling asleep at night, help to stay asleep and general calming effect on the mind. You could also brew them again in a bath to get those calming benefits while bathing and on the skin.

5. Fertilize plants/ Compost (Suggested by a few of our followers!)
   Collect your daily tea leaves in a tin and sprinkle them over your flower beds and the nutrient-rich leaves will help plants grow especially rose plants. To create your own fertilizer, add tea leaves to your usual compost to add to your garden once a month.

6. Get Rid of Bugs
   You can get rid of those pesky fruit flies or little bugs around the house by sun-drying your tea leaves then burning them wherever those bugs may be bugging you!

7. Clean Carpets
   Carpet is always a pesky thing to keep clean especially when it is collecting odor; sprinkle your damp tea leaves over your carpet to absorb dust and odor, let them sit for a little before vacuuming.

8. Incense
   Have you ever wished you could smell your favourite tea all day or your bedroom smell like it when you walk in – add a few leaves to your herbal incense pot and burn away for the lasting aroma of your favourite tea.

I don’t know about you but I will definitely be trying a few of these budget and environment friendly tea leaf hacks this weekend! Stop letting those leaves go to waste.