Do This With Your Used Tea Leaves

There are all types of tea drinkers, including those who love Irish breakfast tea in the morning, those who enjoy a cup of English afternoon tea between lunch and dinner, and those who like to sip chamomile or lavender tea. Experts even recommend drinking herbal teas, like chamomile, before going to bed. According to WebMD, tea has numerous health benefits. Thanks to its flavonoids, tea can help reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, and clogged arteries. If you're a big tea drinker, you probably have plenty of leftover tea leaves. But don't be so quick to throw them in the trash; luckily, there are various ways to incorporate used tea leaves that can be beneficial to your daily life.

Tea is healthy for humans and plants, and there are several uses for tea leaves that will help your garden flourish. Shizen, a tea retailer and educational resource, recommends freezing used tea leaves and then using them as compost for potted plants and gardens. The outlet notes that leaves contain good-for-you nutrients, minerals, and vitamins. 

Homes & Gardens Country also celebrates the plant potential of tea, noting that tea is both high in nitrogen and tannic acid. As the outlet suggests, tea is best used as a fertilizer for plants that like to grow in acidic soil, such as African violets, tomatoes, and daffodils. Used tea leaves can also be composted into a mulch to fight weeds and scare off insects and rodents. These garden pests are typically turned off to the smell (via Homes & Gardens Country). You can even use tea leaves in the potted plants inside your home. In addition, Better Homes and Gardens recommends placing the tea leaves at the bottom of potted plants to help sustain the roots and keep them healthy.

Surprisingly, tea leaves can even be incorporated into your skin-care routine or regimen. TODAY suggests combining loose green tea with a cream-based facial cleanser to help exfoliate dead skin cells. Who knew? Tea not only has the potential to help you relax, but it's also a natural sleep aid and can leave your skin feeling refreshed and clean. Finally, India Today offers ideas for using recycled tea leaves in the kitchen, namely rubbing them on items such as counters and cutting boards to help reduce odors. We can definitely sip to that!