Nine Ways To Use Old And Expired Tea
Tea is such an important beverage that ceremonies and rituals using it are celebrated around the world. If you are one of the billions of people who drink tea regularly in your home, then you likely keep a stockpile in the pantry. Sometimes it sits on the shelf too long and is too old to be consumed. But that doesn't mean you should throw old tea away.Â
You can use your old tea to help with eye inflammation or make a conditioner to help strengthen hair and make it shine. Soaking your feet in a tea bath soothes your feet and reduces foot odor. You can create a fragrant potpourri, make a meat-tenderizing marinade, or even sprinkle old herbal tea on a fire to give the air a lovely aroma.
If you have more tea than you know what to do with, the odds are some of it will eventually go bad. While it’s never the goal to let it expire, you can still do some great things with old tea. If you are one of the many people who have expired tea at home, keep reading to learn all the fun and creative ways you can use it instead of throwing it away.
Five Ways To Tell If Your Tea Is Old Or Expired
1. It’s Beyond Its Expiration Date
The easiest way to tell if tea is expired is to check its sell-by or expiration date. Most boxed tea and store-bought loose-leaf tea should have an expiration date. If your tea is months (or years) beyond this expiration date, it shouldn’t be consumed. Instead, opt to use it in some other way.
2. A Funky Or Non-Existent Smell
Another classic warning sign that tea has expired is the smell test. Some tea will take on a funky or sour smell after it has turned. This is particularly true with teas that have dried fruits or residual sugars in them. These teas will start to break down, go rancid, and even potentially turn moldy.
Other tea may lose its smell. If you had a fragrant Earl Grey tea that now smells like nothing, it may be too old to drink.
3. It’s Clumpy Or The Bags Are Stained
One visual sign that tea is no longer fit to drink is clumps in the tea itself or stained tea bags. Both clumps and stained tea bags are signs of moisture damage. This is likely to happen if you have a humid home, and the tea is not properly sealed.
If you see clumps in your tea or bags that are stained, don’t consume them. Instead, use one of the methods below to use them up.
4. The Color Is Dull Or Faded
Another way you can sometimes tell tea is expired or very old is by looking at the leaves themselves. Tea sometimes has a glossy sheen or a brightness to it. Green and herbal teas tend to have vibrant colors when they are fresh.
If your tea has lost its shine and the colors have grown dull and muted, then it is old. It might not be expired but it has certainly lost some of its more nuanced flavors.
5. The Taste Is Off
The last way you can tell if your tea is bad is when it tastes bad. If you know how a certain brand of tea should taste but you take a sip and encounter an unfamiliar flavor, the tea might be expired. Bad flavors and a lack of flavor are signs that tea has gone bad.
Nine Creative Ways To Use Your Old And Expired Tea
1. Plant Them In Your Garden
Expired and used tea bags can live a very productive life underground. If you have a garden, consider adding old tea bags near the roots of your flower or vegetable garden. Tea has several vital nutrients that your plants can absorb.Â
Tea bags also help with water retention, which is great if you live in a hot or dry climate. Some tea can even reduce weeds, which will help make weeding easier as the season progresses.
2. Make A Hair ConditionerÂ
Just because tea is too old to drink doesn’t mean other parts of your body can’t benefit from its dried leaves. Tea is loaded with benefits that you can absorb in different ways other than drinking them. Putting tea directly onto your hair and allowing it to soak into your hair and scalp has several benefits.
It will help strengthen your hair and promote growth in the follicles. Tea is also rich in antioxidants, which can work wonders for your scalp. It will prevent an itchy scalp and can even help you eliminate dandruff and other dry scalp issues.
3. Use It To Reduce Eye Inflammation
Tea is often used on the eyes to help reduce inflammation and treat styes when they are present. Just because tea is expired doesn't mean it can’t still help with eye inflammation. To try using tea as an eye mask, steep your tea bag in hot water, and then allow it to cool in the fridge.Â
Place the tea bag directly on the eye and allow it to sit there for several minutes. Repeat this process once or twice each day until you notice results.
4. Dye Paper For Craft Projects
Black tea can come in very handy for craft projects. You can make a strong and dark liquid by combining several black tea bags with hot water. This liquid can then be used to dye paper and fabric.
The result is an antique-looking paper or fabric that looks like it’s from colonial times. This is great for making tea party invitations, and costumes, or for creating unique stationery.
5. Make Potpourri And Odor Removers
Some tea smells divine. Just because it is too old to drink doesn't mean it’s too old to smell. You can make a potpourri with some loose-leaf tea, or add it to existing potpourri. Tea also can absorb bad smells, so you can put it in any decorative open container and place it anywhere where bad smells exist, like in shoes or a kitty litter box.Â
6. Give Yourself A Tea Foot Bath
Old tea can make a fantastic foot bath, especially if you struggle with foot odor issues. Since tea is great at removing odors, a tea foot bath will work wonders at removing hard-to-eliminate foot odors.Â
Some teas, including black and green tea, can soften your skin and even help reduce inflammation and tension. Add Epsom salts to this tea foot bath to enhance the soothing effects.
7. Fold It Into Your Compost
Tea is loaded with antioxidants and nutrients that shouldn't be wasted. Most tea bags are also compostable, which makes old tea perfect for just about any compost pile. When you add tea to a compost pile, remove any metal staples or plastic elements first. Remember that citrus should not be added to your compost, so use your old lemon and orange teas for something else.
8. Sprinkle It On A Fire
If you love the smell of a wood fire burning in your fireplace, you’ll love it even more when you add tea bags. Not only can you use dry tea bags as kindling for your fire, but tea will smell fantastic when it burns in the fire.
Herbal teas, especially those with dried fruit, smell particularly fantastic when added to your fire.
9. Tenderize Your Red Meat
If you have meat that could use some extra tenderizing, consider soaking it in a tea bath before you cook it. This may sound strange, but black tea (and other teas) are high in tannins that help break down and loosen up the fibres in meat.Â
The result is a more tender and far less tough piece of meat. Just ensure the tea isn’t flavored with strong additives, as these flavors can soak into the meat.
Summing Up How To Use Old And Expired Tea
Tea might not last forever, but just because it is too old to drink doesn’t mean you should throw it away. The rich antioxidants in tea make it a fantastic hair conditioner and it has nutrients that are great for plants as well. You can make a potpourri or odor remover with your tea, or create a foot bath to remove foot odor and soothe your feet. Add old herbal tea to a fire for a lovely aroma. You can even use a strong tea solution to help tenderize meat before cooking it.
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Tom Gaffey is an expert writer who currently resides in Washington D.C. Tom has a passion for real estate and home improvement writing, as well as travel and lifestyle writing. He lived the last twelve years in Hawaii where he worked closely with luxury resorts and event planners, mastering his knowledge of aesthetics and luxury products. This is where he found his passion for home improvement and a keen interest in DIY projects. Currently, Tom resides in Washington D.C, and also working on his debut fiction novel.
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