Filed under: Teas, How To, Did you know?

If you use loose leaf tea to make yourself a cuppa, you know that, in addition to being difficult to clean out every last bit of tea leaf, a lot of them get thrown away. They might not be strong enough to make more tea with, but there are a lot of uses for used up tea leaves, some of which still benefit from the antioxidant power of green tea. To prepare the used leaves, first dry them completely by laying them on a sieve or even a series of paper towels. Once dry, they can be used to:

• Take odors out of cutting boards by rubbing a freshly washed board with the leaves, then washing again. They can also help to absorb odor in carpets and even cat litter.
• Fill a small cotton bag with the leaves, dampen it, and place on your eyes to reduce puffiness. If you want to use this technique on your whole body, you can make the bag larger and put it in the bath.
• Green tea is a natural source of fluorine, which fights cavities and gingivitis, as well as strengthening teeth, so the leaves can be mixed with water and used as a mouthwash.

[Thanks, Robert]