Tea leaves

SailorSam

Have you seen that tea in Asda that has got Viagra added to it ?
It doesn't help your sex drive but it stops the biscuits going soft.

Justamum

Blue_Doggy wrote: »

Did anyone else's mum use to save damp used tealeaves to sprinkle on the carpets when sweeping (with a carpet broom!)? The idea being that they would hold the dust. Mine used to do it in the 50s but I don't remember her doing it much after then.

Is that when Shake and Vac came out? :rotfl:

Biggles

thorsoak wrote: »

To get the very best flavour, firstly warm the pot, using fresh hot water then add 1 spoonful per person + "one for the pot", then pour over freshly drawn boiling water. Give it a stir, pop on a cosy - and then leave for 3-4 minutes to brew properly. It's up to you whether you prefer to add milk first or last - but use a strainer to pour the tea into your cup - sniff first - then enjoy!

I buy various good loose teas at places that specialise in them, and most of them specify the water temperature and it's never boiling, normally 90 or 95 deg (like for coffee). I think 'freshly boiled water' is probably another old wives' tale.

Anglea

I use loose Yorkshire Tea nowadays but used to love Orange Pekoe.

I occasionally put tea leaves onto the carpets before vacuuming, cheap Earl Grey which doesn't taste good leaves a nice aroma.

I came across the vacuuming idea years back to keep the carpets smelling fresh and easier than bicarbonate of soda which is another tip you frequently read about, but I found the bicarb sometimes leaves white patches that you have to sweep up after.

Apart from strainers you can also buy a special spoon (like 2 spoons joined with a hinge) or a ball on a chain that you fill with tea and put in the cup like a tea bag. But I found that they tend to have holes that let out the loose tea so anything with finer mesh is better.

Hope you enjoy your tea.

thorsoak

Biggles wrote: »

I buy various good loose teas at places that specialise in them, and most of them specify the water temperature and it's never boiling, normally 90 or 95 deg (like for coffee). I think 'freshly boiled water' is probably another old wives' tale.

Tea trader (who would do the slurping/spitting) always insisted "On the boil" for the water - an absolute essential - just as it came to the boil!

kboss2010

Blue_Doggy wrote: »

Did anyone else's mum use to save damp used tealeaves to sprinkle on the carpets when sweeping (with a carpet broom!)? The idea being that they would hold the dust. Mine used to do it in the 50s but I don't remember her doing it much after then.

Did it work?!

I'm honestly at my wit's end with my manky rented flat carpets. Nothing I do gets the hair and bits out of it, I resorted to scrubbing them with a sweeping brush last week which I will admit did get a lot of the clumps of hair up (I have really long hair lol my boyfriend says I'm worse than his landlady's dog and cat combined!)

As for the tea, I feel that mostly you really do get what you pay for. For green tea, brands are a no-no for me, they just all taste a bit bland and often have a milky-coloured film on the top (I drink tea "black"). Black tea I'm even more fussy. I always hated tea as a child/teen until I discovered something other than those horrid teabags that most folk drink as everyday tea. I guess if you drink "builder's tea" you can mask the flavour a bit but if you don't add anything, it tastes like dust to me.

Have you looked for a local independent supplier? They can be a bit pricey but sometimes do offers/sales or deals if you bulk buy. Also, try your local Chinese supermarket (if you have one!), they sell some excellent black teas loose leaf and at very reasonable prices.

Blue_Doggy

kboss2010 wrote: »

Did it work?!

I'm honestly at my wit's end with my manky rented flat carpets. Nothing I do gets the hair and bits out of it, I resorted to scrubbing them with a sweeping brush last week which I will admit did get a lot of the clumps of hair up (I have really long hair lol my boyfriend says I'm worse than his landlady's dog and cat combined!)

Yes, I think it did work (you need quite a lot of tea though - two or three family pots in a day ). The dampness of the leaves helps to bind the dust and grot together. I would say that the stiff bristles of the carpet broom were 50% of the result. As you've found by scrubbing at it with your brush.

If your vacuum cleaner floor head has a hard floor setting with brushes, try that. It'll get up more of the hair and bits, although they'll stick in the brushes which you should be able clean most out of by using the carpet setting. Or look in an old-fashioned hardware shop for a brush or broom with stiff or rubber bristles.

I have very long hair, too, and find that brushing it over the bath or putting a cloth (or even paper) down by the dressing table or wherever I'm brushing it helps to keep it out of the carpet. For the hairs which fall out in normal daily life I think the only cure is putting it up, or plaits .

HTH

[Deleted User]

My Mum always used loose tea and when emptying the pot would use the leaves in the bottom of flower pots in a layer,she always said it helped the flowers grow better and conserved the water for longer.Crumpled up newspaper was also used to conserve water .

I like a 'proper pot of tea I must admit and use a tea pot.I hate mugs draped with tea bags.I also like a proper cup and saucer Old fashioned I know but its what I grew up with.I once upset a young woman in the Costa shop on the motorway when I asked her tto put my cup of tea in a cup and not a piece of plastic!!! I did ask quite nicely though :)As when I want a cup of tea, that is what I want not a cup of plastic, and at a couple of quid a time I think I should get it... and I did :):) I love being a 'grumpy old woman ' at times ,one of the perks of growing old :):)

suki1964

kboss2010 wrote: »

Did it work?!

I'm honestly at my wit's end with my manky rented flat carpets. Nothing I do gets the hair and bits out of it, I resorted to scrubbing them with a sweeping brush last week which I will admit did get a lot of the clumps of hair up (I have really long hair lol my boyfriend says I'm worse than his landlady's dog and cat combined!).

Pop into a pet shop and get a slicker brush, a quick once over with one of those will lift all hair. I have cream carpets and I lose so much hair when I'm drying it my carpet looks brown. A quick swipe over with the slicker and the carpet looks clean and new again

I also use it on the stair carpet to save getting the vacuum out

kboss2010

suki1964 wrote: »

Pop into a pet shop and get a slicker brush, a quick once over with one of those will lift all hair. I have cream carpets and I lose so much hair when I'm drying it my carpet looks brown. A quick swipe over with the slicker and the carpet looks clean and new again

I also use it on the stair carpet to save getting the vacuum out

Thank you, Suki, that's an excellent tip. I shall try that! :money: