.99 Solution: Tea

Ok, so I'm starting a new weekly section of my blog. I received this amazing book from my mom as an anniversary gift called .99 cent solutions ( I don't have the cent sign...so am I suppose to type out cent if I put the period before the 99? no idea here.) It's an amazing book. I decided that I needed to share the wealth of knowledge I'm learning from this book.

Hopefully something can help you. :)

Tea:

• Keep the fridge fresh: An open box of baking soda in the refrigerator is the time-honored way to keep odors down, but did you know that tea bags do an even better job? Put 3-4 tea bags around the fridge and odors will readily absorbed. Change them every few weeks or best results. 

• Use tea in your smoker: Rip open a few tea bags and sprinkle the tea leaves over the soaked wood chips next time you're smoking fish/meat on the grill. The tea leaves impart a distinctive, unique flavor. 

• Help heal pinkeye: Children are more susceptible to pinkeye than adults, and they're also more apt to rub at their sore and tender eye while it's infected, making it likely they will spread the bacteria. Help heal pinkeye faster and give your child relief with a soothing tea bag compress. Wet a tea bag, squeeze out the excess, and have the child lie still for 10 mins with the tea bag on the eyelid. The tannin helps the swelling go right down. 

• Brighten dark hair: Has summer sun and chlorine made your dark hair rough and dry? Soothe your sun-stressed tresses with warm rinse of dark tea. Pour a quart through your hair after a mild shampoo. It will bring our highlights and make your hair feel soft again. 

• Freshen your feet: Sweaty, smelly feet ruining your shoes and your day? Every night, soak your feet in a basin of strong tea for 20 mins. After a week or two, you should notice a real difference in both the sweat output and the odor.

• Clean delicate Oriental rugs: Oriental and Persian rugs must be cleaned carefully to protect their valuable fibers and prevent damage to the patterned weave. Avoid major dirst and dust buildup by periodically cleaning the rug. Empty the contents of six tea bags into a bowl and sprinkle it with 1/2 teaspoon water. Sprinkle these barely damp leaves on the rug, and then brush them off vigorously with a clean broom. The tea leaves will draw out dust and dirt w/o leaving any stain or color on the rug.

• Feed your roses: Rosebushes love the tannins in tea leaves, so if you're a regular tea drinker, keep your tea leaves in a compost bowl by your kitchen sink, and dump them around the rosebush once a week. 

• Speed up compost: You're trying to compost your kitchen waste and not throw it all away, but it's not working as well as it should. If your compost piles seems sluggish, pour a few cuts of strong brewed tea on it. The acidic tea will jump-start the compost, encouraging the acid-loving bacteria that make the whole thing work.

The first thing I will do once we settle into a home is throw some tea bags in the fridge. :)
-Kelli