10 ways to reuse your old teabags

We all know that tea is a fabulous, refreshing, and natural beverage, but most of us will throw out old teabags without a thought, adding to the growing tide of waste. What most people don’t know is that tea and teabags are incredibly useful in a wide variety of, sometimes very unusual ways.

1. Soothe a sunburn: Wet teabags can soothe sunburns and other minor burns. For a full-body sunburn, soak in a tea bath.

2. Soothe tired eyes: Warm, wet teabags can reduce puffiness and soothe pain around tired eyes — and teabags on your eyes look a little less ridiculous than cucumber slices.

3. Soothe pinkeye: You can also use warm, wet teabags as a compress to soothe the pain of pinkeye.

4. Soothe razor burn: A wet teabag can reduce and soothe razor burn.

5. Drain boils: Cover a boil with a wet teabag overnight, and it should drain painlessly.

6. Soothe blisters: Hot teabags are also rumoured to draw out infections when left on fever blisters and canker sores.

7. Dry poison ivy rash Dry a weepy poison ivy rash with strongly brewed tea. Simply dip a cotton ball into the tea, dab it on the affected area, and let it air-dry. Repeat as needed.

8. Save a broken fingernail: To salvage a partially broken fingernail, use a piece of mesh tea bag to create a splint of sorts between the nail and the broken piece. Coat in nail polish.

9. Make soap: Tea is a useful addition when making glycerin soap. The texture and scent can help make the soap smell and cleanse better.

10. Help recover from injections: A wet teabag on an injection site can be soothing, for babies or adults.