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There’s nothing quite like a hot cup of tea on a cold day, and it’s especially great if you feel like you’re about to get sick. Normally, I only use a tea bag once before throwing it away, but now I’ve found out that tea can be a great deodorizer as well! Start recycling your tea leaves now and say goodbye to unwanted odors tomorrow!
1. Revive your carpet
Spread dry or steeped tea leaves onto your carpet and let them sit for 30 minutes to an hour. If you use steeped tea leaves, make sure they’ve begun to dry out before you vacuum. If the tea leaves are too wet, they may stain your carpet (especially if it’s white). Make sure to pick an herbal tea, like peppermint or lemongrass, so that your carpet will have a delightful scent!
2. Eliminate refrigerator odors
If you’re out of baking soda, tea can absorb the funky odors in your refrigerator. Place used tea bags or dried-out tea leaves in an open container and they'll soak up those stubborn odors in a day or two. However, you should never store your sip-worthy tea in the refrigerator. The tea will absorb a variety of odors destroying its flavor, and the moisture will cause the tea leaves to quickly rot.
3. Deodorize your hands after cooking
After cooking fish, onion or garlic—wash your hands and cutting board with brewed tea or steeped tea leaves to remove unwanted odors.
4. Freshen your feet
To get rid of embarrassing foot odors, boil three bags of black tea in a quart of water. Next, put the tea in a bucket and add enough cold water to completely cover your feet. Then soak your soles for at least 30 minutes.
Bonus tip: You can also deodorize your sneakers by stuffing them with the tea bags once they've dried.
5. Neutralize kitty litter odor
Sprinkle used green tea leaves into your cat’s litter to get rid of the smell in your cat's litter box.
Bonus tip: Tea leaves can also prevent your kitty from getting fleas.
6. Bust bad breath
Re-brew your peppermint or green tea bags to create an all-natural and great-tasting mouthwash!
