If you are an ardent fan of green tea, the chances are high that you will have a lot of leftover used green tea leaves after you brew your tea.
Green tea is well known for the health benefits it has to offer. It majorly helps prevent cardiovascular diseases, improve brain function, and control diabetes.
What do you normally do after steeping the leaves a few times? Do you just toss them into the bin?
Well, that is not a good way to manage your leftover brewed green tea, isn’t it? Why dump when you can put them to better use?
Yes, that’s true! Already steeped green tea can still be used in different ways.
And, the best part is that you can reuse the tea leaves up to 2 to 4 times without them losing their goodness.
On top of all, loose green tea leaves are tastier than the bagged ones. Plus, with specifically Japanese green tea leaves, you can enjoy a full-bodied taste when you re-steep the leaves.
You can conveniently brew tea leaves again and again. However, it depends on the size, type, and variety of the tea along with the method of processing.
This practice of reusing leaves is so widely followed in Japan that they call these leaves ‘chagara’ (used tea leaves).
How To Dry Green Tea Leaves?
It would be a good idea to use the leaves after letting them dry as they would last longer. You can dry the leaves to get rid of moisture and use them for different purposes.
There are three different methods of drying the leaves:
1. Under the Sun
This method involves placing the leaves on a towel or paper cloth and letting them dry under the sun. Sounds easy, right?
However, it takes time because the sun can play hide and seek with you based on the season of the year.
2. Using the Oven
This method is faster than the one mentioned above. You need to check in between so that the leaves don’t get burned in the oven.
3. Using the Microwave
This method of drying the green tea leaves is the fastest. You need to place the leaves between two paper towels on a plate and put it inside the microwave.
After 1 minute, check whether the leaves are dry or not. If not, you can microwave them for another 30 seconds but make sure that you don’t end up burning them.
With the microwave, it will not take you long to dry the tea leaves.
15 Ways to Reuse Used Green Tea Leaves
There are several ways of reusing steeped green tea leaves. But using them for cooking and household purposes is a great idea.
You will find something or the other to do with the leaves.
1. Sleep well at night
To get a good night’s sleep, you can place dried green tea leaves on your pillow. This helps in providing relief from sleeplessness, keeps blood pressure under control, and helps in soothing a headache.
This trick is great for a relaxing sleep and in addition to that, there is a lovely fragrance that lingers in the air! I am using a green tea pillow myself and believe me, it really gives a peaceful sleep.
2. Counter humidity in your house
A humid and damp house is not that welcoming. However, how can you get rid of the dampness? Well, green tea leaves will be good enough for this job.
The leaves can be left in the damp area of your house so that they absorb all the extra moisture. Make sure that you use sun-dried leaves for this purpose.
3. Get rid of malodor
Put dried green tea leaves in a small muslin cloth bag and place it in the fridge, bathroom, drawers, and cupboard. In fact, put it anywhere where there is an undesirable odor.
Doing so will help the odor vanish quickly leaving the space smelling fresh.
4. Use it as a fertilizer
Soak the used tea leaves in water for a few days, discard them, and use the tea water in your garden. It will work like a fertilizer for your plants.
You can also use the leaves as such to help your plants grow well. Sprinkle the used leaves on the base of the plants and gently mix them with the soil to see positive results.
You can also add green tea leaves to your garden’s composting pit.
Apart from using them as a fertilizer, you can place green tea bags in the drainage holes of plant containers. This will prevent the soil from getting drained away.
5. Eliminate mosquitoes and flies
Use dried leftover green tea leaves to get rid of pests like mosquitoes and flies. All you need to do is to burn the dried leaves. This will prevent you from getting bitten by mosquitoes and bugs.
In addition to that, you can add the leaves to your incense along with herbal incense.
However, be careful while burning the leaves, other items in your house should not catch fire.
6. Use it as a mouthwash
You can soak the tea leaves in water and use the tea to rinse your mouth after a meal. It will certainly help in keeping your breath fresh.
It works well as a mouthwash. Those who suffer from bad breath will get relief by using green tea as a mouth rinse.
7. Treat acne
Take moist, used leaves and rub them all over the face. Wash them off later. The antioxidants in green tea are helpful in fighting inflammation which helps in reducing acne.
It is a safe and affordable way of getting rid of acne at the comfort of your home.
8. Soak your feet
Those of you who have smelly feet can soak their feet in a strong brew of used tea leaves. This smell-removing effect is due to the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties of catechins present in green tea.
Steep used green tea leaves in hot water for at least half an hour and let it cool down. You can then enjoy your foot bath.
9. Season your food
Dried green tea leaves can be used just like herbs. You can add them to your food and not worry about the calories you consume.
Moreover, they have fiber in them and can be used just like how you use most greens.
Green tea leaves can be a part of salads and soups (I normally crush them before use). You are free to experiment with them in your kitchen and come up with a lip-smacking recipe.
10. Get relief from puffy eyes and dark circles
Dark circles and puffy eyes can be a problem but green tea leaves can help you in getting relief from them. Place the leaves in a muslin cloth and soak it in water before placing it over your eyes.
Doing so will freshen you up and relieve you of the puffiness.
Making this a part of your beauty routine is a good idea. This tip will also tighten up your skin because of the presence of tannins in green tea.
11. Make bath sachets
This is easy; simply add a few drops of an essential oil you like to dried green tea leaves. Put these leaves to a muslin bag and tie it on the top.
Fill your bathtub with water and put the teabag you just made in it. You can keep reusing it several times and enjoy a relaxing bath till the scent vanishes.
12. Make wood shine
Steep used green tea leaves in hot water again and apply the solution to wooden surfaces using a soft cloth. This will bring back the lost shine on wooden furniture and floors.
This is an easy and safe way to restore the look of your wooden stuff.
13. Make a face pack
Take leftover dried green tea leaves and add some honey to them. Then squeeze in the juice of a lemon and give it a mix. Apply this to your face and leave it for 5-10 minutes.
Rinse with water and see how your skin looks young and healthy. This face pack works in fighting the signs of aging.
14. Give your hair some conditioning
To make your hair look shiny and feel smooth, brew green tea leaves and let the tea cool down. Pour this on your hair before shampooing and let it stay there for about 10 minutes.
You can then go ahead and shampoo your hair normally. Do this regularly to have hair that is always on point!
15. Relieve sunburn
Green tea when applied topically helps in soothing sunburn. You have to brew the used green tea leaves and let them cool down.
You can then dip a clean piece of cloth into it and apply it on the sunburnt skin. Keep it there for 30 minutes and see how it works wonders.
Wet tea bags will also be okay for this purpose.
The Takeaway
There are several different ways of using used green tea leaves. They can help you resolve several issues right from helping your plants grow to treat your acne.
It is a great way of making the best use of leftover tea.
However, if your tea leaves or tea bags have mold or bacteria, they should not be used. The smell will tell you that they are rotten and have to be trashed.