Yesterday we were flying back to LA from Seattle and had to take a series of smaller airplanes with just the one compact bathroom in the back. Normally these get pretty...stuffy early on in the flight and the people sitting close to it definitely have a worse flight. But on one of the flights we noticed that upon entering the bathroom it smelled kind of nice, but not like an air freshener, it just smelled pleasant. Shutting the door, we realized what it was:
There, hanging on the back of the door were 4 tea bags (Good Earth Spiced Tea to be exact). Because of the spices they held, it filled the tiny space with a natural aroma that wasn't overpowering but just enough to absorb/mask the other smells. One of the flight attendants must have put the tea bags there to make it more pleasant for everyone. We loved how simple a solution it was using what they probably already had on hand. We plan to raid our tea drawer and try out some mint or chai tea in a hall closet or our own bathroom. Have you seen/used this trick before?
And if this is old news to you, check out everything Gregory uses loose leaf green tea for around the house.
(Image: House Tour: Scott's Silver Lake Bachelor Pad and S. Baker)
unused or used tea bags?
view pier723's profile
This is great I'm going to try it with maple maple tea! Thanks for the great idea!
view dapperboy's profile
I thought that this post was going to be about plants and how they clean the air.
Good idea though! Maybe I will try it at work because the bathrooms here are not well ventilated at ALL.
view plumeria's profile
I haven't seen this before but will definitely be trying this out for myself! Mint tea would be nice...
view rma's profile
Brilliant - I love drinking Good Earth Tea and am often complimented on the aroma it gives here in the office.
view bepsf's profile
Hey, I have that same piece of tile artwork by Harris Strong! It's supposed to hang horizontally but I like it that way as well. I might have to dig it out of storage!
view stt64's profile
I have some tea that has a wonderful smell but only so-so taste. Maybe I will cut some teabags open and pour them into a small bowl for the bathroom.
view MrsMittens's profile
Anyone know where the bathroom shelves are from?
view sofubi's profile
I've heard that tea bags also help cut that awful fridge smell.
view emmabemma's profile
target
view missmay's profile
I'm all about Celestial Seasonings Tension Tamer myself :)Unused bags are perfect little sachets at home. At work, I tend not to throw my used bags out until close to quitting; the used bags have a great, strong scent.
view Kinky Gazpacho's profile
Same as bepsf - my coworkers love my Good Earth tea!
view Emily the Cat's profile
what a great idea.
i will definitely be trying this in my tiny bathroom!
view abigailbelle's profile
My coworkers always comment on my Chai...and one day I had a bag in my purse that ripped open and the inside of the bag still smells so good, even though I cleaned it out!
view Erin Lang Norris/Yellow Canoe's profile
Many years ago I visited the Celestial Seasoning factory in Boulder, CO. They kept a separate room for the peppermint tea, so that it would not 'infiltrate' the other spaces ... when we were in that room it was very powerful ... especially if your sinuses were blocked!
view mirandabee's profile
That's a great idea.
I'm wondering if anyone out there has tried using the tea bag's to get rid of funky cat odors...
I'm having a heck of a time getting rid of the smells—inside a teeny bathroom that my guests also have to share with the cat :P
view unnecessary::necessaries's profile
Genius!
view prettypirate's profile
Great idea, I will definitely be trying this out!
http://notyourgoddess.blogspot.com/
view Harpa's profile
Several years ago I flew on a number of flights that used those pre-measured coffee pouches for this purpose, but I've never seen tea bags used. It makes perfect sense, though. In fact, I'm going to toss a couple into my freezer right now and see if they help with the weird smell that's emerged in the last day.
On my last couple of flights, I've wondered why they didn't have coffee pouches in the lavatories. They certainly needed them!
view How Green Is My Valley's profile
You can also put a few drops of essential oil on a cotton ball and stuff it inside the cardboard tube on your toilet paper. It refreshes the air each time you grab some t.p.!
view mrsjonessoapbox's profile
What a great idea... can't wait to try it out....
view gottahaveit555's profile
I'm an ER doctor, and you can imagine that we get some pretty unique odors; the tea-bag-in-the-face-mask trick is an old one that works really well for all manner of funk!
view drtaekim's profile
I have a plant on my bedside table and for the past few months I have been adding some used tea leaves to the soil, most recently lemon tea. Maybe I'm weird but I find fresh, clean citrus scents to be soothing and relaxing and it's nice waking up and smelling that.
I'll see if I can incorporate some tea into my bathroom. I don't have any tea bags but I'm sure I could rig something up and retire the lavender that's currently in there.
view Cheryl K's profile
Cheryl, my dad is a master-gardener type, and he swears that coffee grounds and tea leaves are magical for plants.
view Brandyjane's profile
I do this already with Constant Comment. Mmmmm.
view kuroneko's profile
Wow, great idea. There's a couple tea bags going over the cat litter in 5 seconds.
view warrenpeace's profile
What a great idea. Love that little hallway and bathroom as well. I also use natural oils (tea tree, peppermint) for cuts and scrapes, cleaning, etc. Like one post above, I put a few drops on a cotton ball and stash in my bathroom and it lasts really well. I've even dropped a bit on the light bulbs (make sure they're off and cool) and when you turn the light on the heat really activates the oil. I'm all about aromatherapy!
view pixie95's profile
Give that flight attendant a raise! ...oh, wait.
view keltrue's profile
Very cool! I hate potpourri and typical air freshener scents, so I'll definitely be trying this.
view miyagisan's profile
I have allergies and the artificial scents destroy my sinuses so this sounds perfect for the kitty litter bathroom.
also, thanks, Brandyjane, i thought coffee grounds were good for the plants but couldnt remember where i heard it, so now you are verifying it.
view sassydo's profile
Never heard of. But I definitely will give it a try.
We hate those artificial odors which should cover bad smells but only make it worse.
Many thanks
view Reni's profile
Masala Chai teabags smell divine! I have the spices at home but I'm currently away, mum-sitting (!!) and bought a box of these teabags a few weeks ago. How such a subtle aroma managed to mask the less-than-subtle odour that occasionally wafted from the cat litter tray amazed me, although, obviously I'd bought them with the intention of making tea. That said, there's a traditional teacake made in Wales called Bara Brith that requires cold tea in the recipe and I was thinking of making some with the chai bags but I've since run out and can't remember where I purchased them. All that I have left is the empty packaging, the scent still clinging to it, and the all-too-frequent reminder that my mother has pets...
view AcrossThePond's profile
I see this now that I just spent $10 on basic Glade air fresheners a couple days ago...
I'll be trying this soon.
view nick0326's profile