Exclusive:
‘Queen of Clean’ Lynsey Crombie has revealed one of her favourite tips when it comes to cleaning the kitchen – and all it involves is an old tea bag and some water
Let’s face it, cleaning isn’t the most glamorous of jobs. Whether you’d rather do 101 jobs before taking the bins out or you’re someone who loves the meditative nature that cleaning and organisation can bring, it’s no secret that having a tidy, rubbish-free home can do wonders for our wellbeing and stress levels.
Regardless of which camp you find yourself in, keeping your home looking fresh doesn’t have to take hours upon hours. Nor does it require you to spend a fortune on countless different products. For Lynsey Crombie, aka the Queen of Clean, there’s one product that she reaches for in various areas of her home – and it’s something you might already use on a daily basis.
While tea bags may be great when it comes to making your morning brew, it turns out they can have a multitude of purposes when cleaning too. From degreasing pots and pans, cleaning kitchen appliances or polishing and shining wooden furniture, old tea bags can do wonders.
“I love cleaning with tea bags. They’re good for cleaning dirty kitchenware or if you want to clean your oven and you’ve got a dirty oven tray, just put a couple of tea bags in some hot water and you can just leave it all day if you want to – you know, go to work, come home and let the tea do the cleaning for you,” Lynsey tells the Mirror.
“You don’t even have to use a new tea bag. If you’ve made yourself a cup of tea and you’ve got the tea bag left, just shove it in a dirty pan. There’s some in tea called tannins, which is a natural cleaner. People used to clean with tea leaves, it’s such an old school thing. You could also clean mirrors with. Just make up a very, very weak tea solution and clean your mirrors with it. It’s fabulous.”
This isn’t the first time that Lynsey has opened up about her love of tea bags when it comes to cleaning. In a previous Instagram post, she called it one of her “all-time favourite” tips.
“One of my all-time favourite TIPS! and perfect to share again for Christmas. Don’t throw away your used tea bags – they can be a lifesaver in the kitchen! If you’ve got a dirty dish or pan, keep a tea bag aside and let it do the hard work for you,” she wrote.
Explaining how it worked, she added: “1) Fill your dirty dish with water. 2) Add the tea bag and let it soak while you enjoy your meal. 3) Watch as it breaks down grease, grime, and stuck-on food with ease.
“Tea has been used for cleaning for centuries, thanks to the power of tannins! TRUST me, this simple trick really works.”
In response to the clip, Lynsey followers were quick to express their shock at the tip. “Omg! Lynsey thank you so much! I will try this, had no idea xx,” wrote one.
“Say what! What is this magic I see in front of me,” commented a second. “I am definitely going to try this. Thank you so much for sharing xx,” another added.
Follow Lynsey Crombie on Instagram @lynsey_queenofclean. Lynsey’s best-selling book The 15 Minute Clean is out now.
