Give New Life to Old Linens with Tea Staining
Many of the clothes that I wear today, I’ve owned for well over five years now. In fact, when I began this blog with the intention of living a more minimalistic and sustainable lifestyle, I revamped my closet with clothing from small handmade shops that I found across the internet. I used to write more extensively about sustainable clothing, but once I kind of found my own groove with it, it just became second nature to me. Linen clothing has been a large part of my wardrobe, and I have not added anything new since then. It makes sense that after five years of use, some of my beautiful white linens had started to look a bit dingy. They had gained new stains, some that had been too difficult to remove. My kitchen towels were beginning to show their wear and tear as well with blueberry splotches and coffee stains.
One tip that I’ve learned over the years is to never give up on a piece of clothing or household linen that has unremovable or old stains. You can simply make them new again! Tea staining is something that I learned from my mother who would often stain her worn out clothing and give them a new life. I can remember her making a large pot of dark black tea over the stove, mixing around a favorite tunic or top, and finding she had a brand new piece for her wardrobe!
what you will need:
Black Tea
Water
Old Linens
Washing Detergent
directions:
In a large pot filled with enough water to fully submerge your linens, bring to a boil over the stove.
While the water is boiling, I prefer to add my tea bags then. The amount that you need will depend entirely upon how dark you want your dye bath to be. I added 16 bags of tea to about 8-10 quarts of water. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until desired color is reached.
Remove the pot from heat and submerge your linens. Stir with a wooden spoon. Allow to sit until cool or overnight.
In the morning, remove the linens and check the dye situation. If they are colored to your liking, it’s time to wash. If not, you can let them sit for a longer period.
When you are ready to wash, rinse the linens under cold water in the sink until the water runs clear. Ring out the linens.
Send the stained linens through a wash cycle to fully remove any extra tea liquid. You can do this by hand or in your washing machine. I chose to wash mine on a normal hot water cycle to really set the stain.
Enjoy your newly stained towels or other linens!
Tea staining has been a method for renewing old towels for years, as it’s so easily done. I believe it’s an old-fashioned household custom that we’ve lost over the years. Because clothing and linens are made so cheaply and quickly, it’s so much easier to run out to the store and replace what we’ve stained or ruined. Rather than donating this top because I had stained it, I can now wear it again. I love that the tea enhanced the little round stains on the front; I think it looks kind of beautiful that way! I believe they were from me spilling coffee all over myself while pregnant last year. I am a very clumsy person!
And when this top is worn out enough that I can no longer wear it, I will find another purpose for the fabric around our home. I think that’s the beauty of natural fabrics. They last so much longer and have multiple lives and purposes for our family. Now and go and revive some of your old linens!
xoxo Kayla
