Other uses of Pu-erh tea

Pu-erh Tea is a superexcellent drink with wonderful color, scent and taste. Besides its main function as a beverage, it has various special uses. If you hate to throw out anything you could reuse or recycle. The brewed pu-erh tea leaves may give you a surprise. Here is the definitive list of other uses for the brewed pu-erh tea leaves.

De-stink feet

Soaking your feet in hot pu-erh tea leaves can help reduce foot odor. The tannin and TP contained in the brewed tea leaves can help kill the bacteria which are related to foot odor. So, why not soak your feet with pu-erh tea for 20 minutes per day.

Care Hair

Make a strong brewed tea and use it as a daily hair rinse for a natural way to enhance your hair’s color. Tea can wash off dirt. One’s hair will appear black and tender with a luster after washed by tea. Moreover, tea will do no harm to one’s hair and skin since it does not contain any chemicals.

Improve breath

Gargling with strong tea can help reduce halitosis – Tea has a strong convergent effect, which could eliminate halitosis when kept in the mouth. You can benefit from this method by gargling with strong pu-erh tea.

Shine furniture

You may find the newly purchased furniture have a pungent odor smell of paint. Wiping them around with raw pu-erh tea liquid is an efficient way to fade these odors – repeat multiples times if necessary for a better result. Rumor has it that this way works better than using plain water. Add more, this method can not only apply to wooden furniture but also apply to other life utensils (such as mats or tatami) for controlling abnormal odors and dust.

The brewed pu-erh tea leaves still contain inorganic salts and carbohydrate. When you pot a new plant, place a handful of pu-erh tea leaves in the drainage layer at the bottom of the pot. The inorganic salts and carbohydrate can help plants thrive. Instead of pouring unused tea liquid down the drain, use it to water your plants.

Wash clothes

Clothes made from silk are vulnerable to chemical detergents. Brewed raw pu-erh tea leaves can keep the original color and luster of silk clothes and fibrous nylon clothes as well. One thing to be noted, when washing light-colored clothing using this method you need to pay more attention to prevent dyeing. Be sure to dilute the tea water with running water thoroughly first till it become colorless. Ripe pu-erh tea is not recommended here due to its dark color.

Eye pillows

Fill homemade eye pillows with dry pu-erh tea leaves for a peaceful, calming rest.

Used as Food Coloring

Ripe pu-erh tea contains rich dry coloring matter so it can be used as a natural food coloring when cooking cuisines, making them appear more attractive.

Repellent mosquitoes in summer

One can burn the air dried brewed pu-erh tea leaves in summer night to repel mosquitoes. Rumor has it that the burning leaves can drive out mosquito with an effect resembling that of mosquito-repellent incense, moreover, it will do harm to the users.

Help clean greasy cooking utensils

It is hard to imagine that tea can be used as a household cleanser. But apparently the astringency of tea makes it is good for cleaning grease.
Giving your cooking utensil a good scrub with wet fresh brewed tea leaves can easily remove the grease stains on them. If there are no newly-brewed leaves, you can re-brew some old brewed leaves to get the same effect.

Soothe tired eyes

Warm diluted pu-erh tea water can reduce puffiness and soothe pain around tired eyes — and teabags on your eyes look a little less ridiculous than cucumber slices.