4 Cleaning Uses for Iced Tea

Here are some iced tea recipes that our crews would love for you to try (no pressure):

• Perfect Peach Iced Tea from Minimalist Baker. A refreshing and easy version of the classic Southern recipe, the sweetness of the peach balances out the bitterness of black tea.

• Iced Mint and Citrus Tea from Merrill Stubbs at Food52. Simple but incredibly satisfying. I find myself making this again and again. It has all the tried-and-true ingredients to quench thirst.

You can also vary the herbs used in the recipe for a more novelty taste. Try one of the five DIY herbs you can grow in your home garden!

• Lemonade Iced Tea from My Recipes. The ultimate champion of summer iced tea recipes. A true classic, this recipe has stood the test of time.

What if you have left-over tea? Don’t throw it away. In fact, don’t even throw away the tea bags you used for the recipes. Here are some good uses for your iced tea beyond being a summer thirst quencher:

1. Clean your wood floor

I used to have wooden flooring in my home, and even though it requires less maintenance and cleaning than carpet flooring, wood demands a more “luxury” treatment when it comes time for cleaning. The more expensive the wood, the more careful you must be in choosing a cleaning agent.

The acidity in black tea is mild enough to be used on wood without stripping its natural patina. In fact, the tannin in black tea adds a warm, shiny glow to the wood!

Here is a great tutorial on how to clean your wooden floor with black tea from Apartment Therapy.

2. Deodorize your home

Smelly cat litter bothers you? Mix a bit of tea leaves in with new litter.

Make your cat happy. Keep the litter box clean!

Wait until your seeped tea leaves have dried to prevent them staining your carpet. Then, sprinkle them across the floor. Wait for 30-60 minutes, then vacuum everything up. Bonus: store your already-steeped tea leaves/bags in a bowl and put it in your fridge to kill off bad odors.

3. Beauty rinse

Tea is wonderful for your hair. Mix 1 cup of your left-over tea with a table spoon of vinegar. Use the mixture to rinse your hair. Vinegar is a great natural ingredient to prevent build-up and restore the PH balance in your hair. Moreover, the dye in black tea can enhance your hair color as well!

With everything you can do with tea, it’s possible there’ll be a few mishaps that leave your home less than perfect. Have unwanted tea stains you need to remove after your summer bash? Check out this blog on one of our sites and say goodbye to tea stain.