Friday, October 23, 2009

Speaking of tea bags...

Whatever you do, don't throw them away once they're used. If they're the kind with strings, pull the strings off and use them to tie things together, hang decorations in a window (with a thumbtack) or put a couple dozen together, tie in the middle, trim and you have a cotton pompom. Tea bag strings can be dyed easily with generic kool aide, tea or coffee. Don't make up a packet of kool aide for that purpose, but when you're making it anyway, take out a tablespoon or two before you add sugar and dye the cotton string with that.

Oh, and if you soak the tea bag strings in borax and salt dissolved in water then let them dry for a few days, they make good candle wicks for short candles.

I'm not through yet. Use the tea and the bags themselves to compost, or dry them completely and throw them in the fireplace or wood stove. Put them on your houseplants before you water them.

Just because tea bags are used, doesn't mean they're not still useful. Now, go apply that to everything you can think of.

8 comments:

  1. Very interesting. I had never thought of these ideas, and I drink a lot of tea!

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  2. I love your ideas, thanks alot again! :-)
    Johanna from Finland

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  3. I don't personally use the old tea bags but I do save them. I have a friend that picks them up on a weekly basis and uses them for some type of craft work.

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  4. Thank you, Johanna! And Lawrence, what kind of craft does your friend do with teabags? Sounds interesting.

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  5. I'm not quite sure what she uses them for. She is a kindergarten teacher so I'm sure it's something crafty. I'll be sure to ask her next time I see her.

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  6. Please do, Lawrence, if it's not too much trouble. I'd love to know.

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  7. Thanks for the tea bag tips..I knew compost but others are new. Thanks,Frugal in Mexico

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