How to Clean Tea Bags to Use in Your Tea Bag Art

I drink hot tea and I like lots of different flavors. I buy different brands, like Stash, Steep, or Twinings. All three brands have tea bags that are the same size, no staples, and have similar texture.

Since I drink so much tea, it always pains me to throw out the used tea bags (I think “Oh no, the landfill”). But now I have a good way to use them, as a starting place for tea bag art.

There’s some prep work to to do though even before I pour the water over the tea bag. Since the brands I like use a knot on the tea bag and not a staple, I undo the knot.

I use a bamboo skewer to pull out the knot that holds the string on the tea bag. It’s so much easier to loosen up the string before the water hits the tea bag.

I used to pull the string out after steeping. But if I undo the knot beforehand, keep the string in the tea bag and then steep the tea, the string comes out faster and easier with zero damage to the tea bag itself.

Pick out the knot with a pointed stick like a bamboo skewer.

2. Pull the tag string all the way up to the tea bag. Let the tag hang over the edge of your cup after you pour the water.

What do I do with that wet tea bag?

After steeping, I lay it out to dry in a bowl on the counter. When it’s no longer damp, I pull out the string, open it up and empty the leaves.

I gently separate the seam and dump the leaves into a bowl. I’ll put the tea leaves outside in the flower bed later.

I dust off any leftover tea leaves and make a neat pile of clean tea bags. Sometimes I have to rinse the tea leaves off the tea bag and dry the tea bag on the counter.

Here’s a stack of clean, used tea bags ready for the next tea bag art project.

Do you have some suggestions of your own for cleaning tea bags? If so, please share your ideas in the comment section below.