The last thing we want to advocate is giving up tea and coffee in the name of food miles. In many busy workplaces, your weekday tea and coffee are a necessity, a treat and a culture - so we might as well honour them with a few extra chores before throwing them in the bin.
For those of you who add your scraps to the compost bin, you can still do so in many of these applications once their task is complete.
Twenty Things to Do with Your Brewed Tea and Coffee
How to dispose of coffee grounds
1. Soften the skin
Exfoliate with a body scrub made from coffee grounds, coconut oil and a little brown sugar. Massage gently in the shower, rinse and soften.
2. Pleasing flowers
Cover acid-loving plants - roses, azaleas, rhododendrons, evergreens, hydrangeas and camellias - with coffee grounds. They love coffee grounds because of the natural acidity and nutrients they add to the soil.
3. Make ants sad Sprinkle coffee around ants
Sprinkle coffee grounds around areas frequented by ants to deter them. 4.
4. Deter gastropods
Used ground is said to repel snails and slugs, so scatter them in problem areas.
5. Simplify fireplace cleaning
Before cleaning the fireplace, sprinkle on moist used coffee grounds, which will press down the ashes and thus eliminate smoky smelling clouds of dust.
6. Make tan dye
Soak used grounds in hot water and use as a dye bath for Easter eggs, fabrics and paper to give a lovely, soft brown hue.
7. Keep the cat
Keep away from the garden Keep kittens away from the garden by mixing orange peel and used coffee grounds around the plants.
8. Encourage carrot planting
To increase the carrot harvest, mix the seeds with dry coffee grounds before planting. The extra bulk makes the small seeds easier to manage, while the coffee aroma nourishes the soil and helps to repel pests.
How to handle tea leaves and tea bags
Some tips call for the use of dry leaves, here's how After brewing the tea, place the leaves in a large filter or colander. Press out as much water as possible and then lay the leaves on a sheet of paper. Allow the leaves to dry thoroughly, turning them over several times in the process. Note also that wet tea leaves can stain, so if you are using wet tea leaves on or near porous surfaces, be sure to test them in an inconspicuous area first.
9. Treating stings and burns
Cool tea bags can relieve insect bites and minor burns, including sunburn. For overall skin irritation, soak the used tea leaves in a bath.
10. Soothing to the eyes
The tannins in tea have anti-inflammatory properties, which is why cool tannins are often used to treat puffy eyes. (The cold also helps to reduce the swelling.)
11. Feeding the garden
Use tea as food for garden plants - green tea is high in nitrogen and, as a bonus, it wards off pests and insects. It's good for houseplants too, so add old tea leaves to their water.
12. Lifting potted plants Potted plants
When potting, place a few used tea bags on top of the drainage layer at the bottom of the pot before adding soil. The tea bags will help retain moisture and infuse some nutrients into the potting medium.
13. Eliminate cat box odours
Sprinkle dry tea leaves in the litter box to help reduce odours.
14. Eliminate other pet odours
Sprinkle dry, used green tea leaves on your pet's pillow, bed, kennel or other odorous areas to eliminate odours.
15. Clean carpets Sprinkle
Sprinkle dry tea leaves over the carpet, crush gently, leave for 10 minutes and vacuum. This will give the carpet a fresh look and deodorise your vacuum and bag. (Especially useful if you have pets.)
16. Treat your dog
As a luxury, loose leaf gunpowder tea is a treat for dogs to roll around in. It adds aroma and shine to the coat.
17. Clean mats and beds
In South East Asia, it is common to clean straw sleeping mats with a bucket of water spiked with tea. Tea is used as a deodoriser so you can apply this method to yoga mats and air mattresses.
18. Store in the fridge
If you run out of baking soda, place dry, used green tea bags or tea leaves in a small open bowl in the fridge to help absorb odours.
19. Wash your hands
Remove food odours (garlic, onion etc.) by rubbing your hands with wet green tea leaves, an instant deodoriser.
20. Deodorise kitchen surfaces
Rub wet tea leaves on chopping boards and counters to remove food odours.
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